by Jolie Jackson
Friendswood’s Mighty Mustang Band has officially started its marching season with the annual summer band program. To kick off the season, students had their Big-Little Dinner on Monday, July 29.
“The Big-Little system is the first chance for incoming students to become integrated into the band program and can even kickstart lifelong friendships,” band vice president Evan Yang said.
In order to help with the freshmen’s transition from junior high to high school, each member is assigned to an experienced older member. The upperclassmen are the “Bigs,” and the freshmen are the “Littles.”
“I wanted to be a Big because I really like making a positive difference,” band historian Isabella Borck said. “I was very influenced by my Big during my freshman year, so I wanted the chance to provide the same kind of support that I received.”
This dinner marked the new members’ first completed day of band camp.
“I feel much better about camp after today because at first I didn’t know what to expect,” freshman Wyatt Croix said. “I’m super excited about playing the songs in our show because they sound really cool.”
At the dinner, the Bigs presented their assigned Littles with a handmade shirt and a gift of personalized items. According to band president Owen Schaefer, creating the shirt was not easy, taking him over six hours.
“I knew I had to be creative, because what’s a Big-Little shirt if it isn’t funny?” Schaefer said. “My Little is Mikala, and I thought that her name sounded like Mcdonald’s, so I spelled her name ‘Mc-kala’ and put a cheeseburger on the front.”
All participants will wear their new t-shirts to band camp, where they will continue to elevate their abilities, both personally and in team growth. According to clarinet section leader Helene Ouyang, the two go hand-in-hand.
“In an activity so reliant on cooperation, trusting one another and executing processes with ease are both important to master,” she said. “When a strong bond is formed within the team, trust among members can enhance not only individual skills but ensemble skills as well.”
