The Time I was Dropped from Band Class

by Drew Holmes

It was the first day of my sophomore year at East Bridgewater High school and my freshly printed class schedule was in hand. I had taken for granted that 7th period would be band, as usual, but as I deciphered the schedule my heart sank. Instead of band I was scheduled for Spanish 2.

The problem, as I was to later understand, was honors English and math classes conflicted with other sections of language, creating a scheduling bottleneck. The guidance office, guessing I was unwilling to drop the honors classes, realized it was a choice between band (and elective) or Spanish (two years required to graduate). The casualty was band.

I sought out Mr. Lasdow, the band director, for help. He assured me he would take care of it and instructed me to attend Spanish that day while he sorted it out. Being in the school building and not attending rehearsal was one of the weirdest feelings I had in my high school career, doubly so because I could hear the band from Spanish class.

The next day, Mr. L had a whole new schedule worked out for me. English and math were dropped a level and I was now in a non- seventh period Spanish class. Band, as expected, was back on the docket. He had gone the extra mile to maintain as rigorous an academic schedule as possible, but I knew in my heart I could not accept it.

My future included those honors classes as well as band. Compromising on any of those subjects was unacceptable. The choice was clear: I was taking a hiatus from Spanish.

That day I learned an important lesson: you can choose anything; you cannot choose everything. Making a choice excludes the ability to choose something else and we need to prioritize what is most important.

Walking Timothy to school each morning is one of the most important parts of my day. It’s a chance to check in with him and talk about what he hopes his day will be. I cherish these walks, knowing that they will end all too soon and someday he will want to go to school alone.

Choosing to walk Timothy to school necessitates other choices and arrangements. For example, to make my weekly Tuesday rounds in Thompson School District, I need to leave as soon as I get back from dropping him off. This requires the van is at my house, loaded up, and ready to go first thing in the morning, so I load it up the previous afternoon. And so on.

When something is important, we make it important. Though my guidance counselor thought band class was negotiable, I knew it was not and I was willing to defer taking a required class. It will always be one of the best decisions I have ever made.