As my high school graduation approaches, I can’t help but reminisce about the last four years. One of the major things I will miss in high school is playing in the band. I have poured blood, sweat, and tears into Theodore Roosevelt High School’s marching band, and I can’t believe I’m leaving it behind.
Band practice became my daily routine: before school, during class periods, after school, and on the weekends. I spent countless days and hours memorizing different sheets of music and choreography.
My passion for the marching band began at Hollenbeck Middle School, where I learned to play my instrument with Mr. Erick Quintanilla and found a sense of belonging.
“It’s a positive activity. It’s not about winning and losing; it’s about building life skills. It’s about everybody who’s different can come together,” said Quintanilla, now the band director at Roosevelt. “Nobody sits on a bench in the band. Everybody performs. I feel like I can include so many more people. There’s a place for a space for everybody in the band.”
I was inspired by my older cousin, who played the flute in the school band. Before her passing, she served as a sister figure to me. When Mr. Quintanilla asked us to pick our instrument, I chose the flute. I wanted to stay close to her and connect because I missed her so much. That was my way of staying distracted and keeping busy.
Mr. Quintanilla, along with many students from my 8th grade culminating class, would move to Roosevelt. I was really excited to play in the high school band, but then COVID-19 hit, and we all went to Zoom. I spent my freshman year of high school online, and that time was very tough on everyone.
When we returned to in-person classes, I recognized familiar faces but it was not the same marching band from middle school. The stakes felt higher. Not only were we helping to create a school culture at sporting events, but we were also a competing marching band. We would go on and compete against other schools inside and outside the school district.
The pressure rose during the months leading up to the East LA Classic. It is a huge football game for Roosevelt and James A. Garfield High School, as well as for the community and alumni who come from all over the city to see it.
The first time I participated in the Classic was in my sophomore year, 2022, and it was an entirely different experience.
“There’s an energy that the band brings to the school spirit that is really unique to high school. I think not having the marching band out at events, you’d lose some of that classic Americana sort of collegial spirit that the band uniquely brings,” said Mr. Quintanilla.
During the week of the Classic, there was one day when I had to get up at two in the morning to get ready for school. We got dressed in our band uniforms, got our instruments, and then got ready to play at three in the morning for Telemundo 52.
Media day is meant to hype up the Classic on each school’s side and bring that school spirit to the community and alumni. It was hard to wake up so early on game day and still play with enthusiasm for the news when I would much rather be sleeping in bed.
We had to continue throughout the school day and band practice after that, too, which, to be honest, can be a struggle for most. But I loved the feeling of making my parents proud and having them boast to their friends about how I performed on television. While game day is the most tiring, it’s also the most fun.
It feels great being a part of Roosevelt’s current generation of bands. The marching band has gone through a lot of evolutions, from being part of ROTC to now halftime shows.
My favorite part of the band’s history is that in 1941 RHS Jewish student Sylvia Sterkin and Japanese student Ritsuko Kawakai wrote our fight song. The previous band director, Mr. Jose Arellano, would go on and rearrange the song from the original piano piece to one the marching band could play.
The song’s history embodies what Roosevelt is all about- diverse voices and experiences that intersect and bring about change for future generations of students. Collaboration and community intersect here in a uniquely Eastside way, and there’s a sense of pride that people who have walked through its doors hold even long after walking the stage.
“Whether the band is playing at a football game or even a pep rally, it can quite literally light a spark in those moments and get everyone involved,” said RHS marching band alumni Bernardo Cruz-García. “The band has a unique way of bringing the community [together] and expressing Rough Rider pride.”
Being part of the band is to be a part of something greater than yourself. I know I’m going to love college. I will get to meet new people, see new faces, and start a new chapter of my life. But leaving behind the people who mean the most to me, my family, closest friends, and mentors, is what makes it so hard to even think about leaving.
As someone whose life has revolved around the band for my whole high school career, I would encourage anyone who’s thinking about joining to do it. I’ve loved being busy and having fun with the band, College Track, and Boyle Heights Beat. These extracurriculars have given me memories that will last with me forever, and I will continue to carry them with me throughout my life.
