It’s time. As you put on the drum all you can think about is perfection. So many hours of practice now boils down to this one moment. You can hear the crowd cheering for your group, but all you can think about is… perfection. The performance is all you have, so make it count. This is the time for finals, for indoor drumline, for WGI. Make it count.

As you line up before the show, you look to the crowd to meet you fans for the first time and think, “This is what I live for.” The adrenaline pumping through every vein in the body is a reminder how strong your feelings are for this activity. Your friends and fellow performers are ready to begin. The first note is played.

You count all the rests before the step off, but the anxiety sets in. The first step is a strong and confident one, for this same step off has been practiced until it has become instinct. Before you can catch your breath there you are, center of the gym with all eyes on you. The intensity on your face is the only thing that can express your passion to the audience, and you must show them. When you raise your drumstick to play the first note all fear is lost and the first note is dominating.

Keep in time, get the drill sets, show the fierceness to the crowd, don’t miss your rhythms, play with the group, and soak up this feeling for the rest of your life. When the show climaxes, every muscle in the body is tense, and your mind is racing. Execution is key to the performance. Your heart is beating over two-hundred beats a minute, and sweat is pouring down your entire body. The confidence you have in your fellow musicians is unreal, and the experience is overwhelming. The last note has been played, and all you can think of is how well you executed the show. The audience is on their feet cheering for the group, but they will never understand. They will never understand the feeling of the show.

The feeling can never be emulated. It is what drives you further in your quest to perfection. It is the reason to spend countless hours practicing. It is the once in a lifetime experience that cannot be forgotten. It is the performance.