In middle school, senior Reed Pickering signed his name on the empty sheet of paper, becoming the only student to sign up to play oboe in band. Pickering continued the journey into high school, involving himself in the band through playing oboe and, eventually, as drum major. “I didn’t want to just go to school and do assignments and stuff, I wanted something to do that would make me feel involved in some way,” Pickering said.
As a student at T.A. Howard Middle School, Pickering attended middle school night for the Summit High School Band, where he met a drum major who also played oboe. “He talked to us a lot and was just very cool and very interactive,” Pickering said. “I wanted to be like him, so I started thinking about wanting to try out for drum major.”
Pickering auditioned for and accepted the role of drum major his junior year, taking on the responsibility of being leadership and conducting the entire band. “When I got drum major, the first thing on my mind was trying to get to know as many people as possible,” Pickering said. “I want to make sure nobody feels left out and everybody feels included.”
During summer band camp his junior year, Pickering walked around and got to know everybody’s names in hopes that everybody knew they had at least one person to go to if they needed something. “One thing that brings a lot of happiness to me is when I would just be walking around and kids in band who are super shy and never talk to anybody see me in the hallways and say hi,” Pickering said. “I like getting to make people feel more included in band, and it's really cool seeing those shy people bloom.”
Because of the fragility and expense of double-reed instruments, oboes do not march. Freshman and sophomore year, Pickering chose to play alto saxophone, having to learn an entirely new instrument. “I actually think it really benefitted me since oboe and alto are very similar, but I still got to take a break from playing my main instrument,” Pickering said. “I think the break actually increased my playing ability somehow because I was still practicing but I was able to experience a whole new instrument, which made it a lot more fun.”
During marching season, students practice three instrument-specific etudes they will use to compete in All-District and All-Region band competitions. His junior and senior year, Pickering advanced to the Area competition that took place in January. “As drum major I had a lot of extra time when I wasn’t conducting the band to just practice oboe as much as I could,” Pickering said. “It really helped develop my ability by practicing more, and I don’t think I could’ve gotten as far competition-wise without that extra practice.”
With the introduction of an almost entirely new band staff this past year, changes were bound to follow. Head Band Director Peyton Lee put more emphasis on the drum majors leading the band. He would tell Pickering what he wanted the band to do next, and Pickering was responsible for calling out the commands to the band. “It took me a while to get into the procedure and follow the specific steps every time,” Pickering said. “There were times that I would fumble, and it made me realize that I had a really big impact because what I was feeling would be reciprocated into the band.”
Pickering realized that, as drum major, he had a big effect on the success of the band in rehearsals. “There were rehearsals where I wasn’t so lively and you could tell from me to the band that it got tired, so I had to learn a lot about how to leave stuff at the door and be the most lively, open person so that the rest of the band can also be doing the best they could,” Pickering said.
Pickering believes being in band has shaped his character throughout high school, connecting him with more people and helping him adapt. “I think band is such a character-building experience because it forces you into hard situations you have to persevere through, so it just molds you into a better person,” Pickering said. “It’s definitely made me a more social person, and also just a better person in general.”
Though Pickering does not plan on majoring in music in college, he looks forward to continuing playing oboe and participating in marching band. “[Band] has been such a big part of my life and I just feel like I would never be able to let it go out of high school,” Pickering said. “I’m thinking about minoring in music because it would be really cool to always have this hobby I started in middle school.”