October 6, 2025: The Sour Note

A defining moment.

As a high school senior, I had a trumpet solo in our marching band show during the climax of the last song, “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

The whole band fell silent, leaving me completely alone under the stadium lights. It was the big closer, with no safety net, and the solo called for rapid-fire double-tonguing (iykyk) and an octave leap to a final high note.

Then came the first performance at a preseason game.

My playing chops weren't up to mid-season form, and when I got to the high part, my lips gave out like a limp noodle. I cracked the note. Tried again and missed worse.

My solo sounded like a goose dying, and I wanted the football field to swallow me. Take me home, Jesus.

Afterward, my band director and friends crowded around me with encouragement. But I was more mad than embarrassed.

Something clicked, and I swore that note would never, ever beat me again. I practiced harder and learned to pace myself throughout the show to conserve energy. And I built endurance I didn’t know I had.

From that day forward, in all future performances, I nailed it. Every single time.

Sometimes the only difference between failure and success is refusing to let one bad moment define you. Growth lives in the space between humiliation and determination.

Or to put it another way, victory is often born from the sour notes.