Sounds- 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #9

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Week 9: Sounds.  Describe any sounds that take you back to your childhood. These could be familiar songs, jingles, children playing, or something entirely different.

One of the sounds that always takes me back to childhood is the sound of a school band. I was lucky enough to go to school in Florida in the 70's when the music programs were thriving and I started band in 7th grade. I was one of 4 kids playing the oboe in beginning band and that is a sound I'll never forget! My junior high school had a football team, so the band marched at halftime shows and in our town's Christmas parade. We spent many hours marching up and down the football field in the Florida sun, but it was a lot of fun too.

In high school, things got more serious. The marching formations were more difficult, the music was harder, and the uniforms were fancier! The oboe was an expensive instrument that they didn't want exposed to the elements, so I played clarinet in the marching band and continued to play oboe in the symphonic band. Some of the best times I had in high school were going to the football games and performing in the halftime shows and during the games. I continued playing the oboe in college, but it's really that slightly discordant sound of a high school marching band that takes me back!