Most Outstanding

Last week Ethan went to a percussion camp at a nearby university, from Monday to Thursday. He got to stay in a dorm, which was a great experience for him. I'm hoping that will inspire him to make goals about going to college one day. He had a great time and made a couple of friends. 

On Thursday all ten ensembles, each a complete drum line, performed for their families sitting up in the blazing hot bleachers. Ethan was center snare for his ensemble, which means he set the pace for everyone else. For two minutes I was back in high school, feeling the boom of the bass drum in my chest as we paraded through the tunnel between the gym and the main building. 

I thought they were just perfect, but he informed me later that it was a dirty performance, which I suppose means it was not clean. 

After the ensembles played, they gathered into one giant drum line of about 200 players. Even from the top of the bleachers, where we were huddled in a patch of afternoon shade, the noise was deafening. I had never heard such a large percussion group, and it was pretty amazing. 

But the best part was when they handed out the awards. Guess who got Most Outstanding Snare in his section? Yes, that's right. It was my boy. I must have screamed really loudly because a man from a couple rows up congratulated us on the way out. 

I wish I had taken a picture of Ethan's grin when we met him down on the field. Instead, you'll have to settle for a video of his ensemble...

We decided to go out to eat to celebrate. "Can we go to Subway?" Ethan asked.

"Subway?" Bill repeated incredulously. "Don't you want something better?"

"Yay! Subway!" Allyson seconded.

So we feasted on submarine sandwiches. I'm glad those two can agree on something. And all of us agreed that we were pretty proud of Ethan. Allyson's been telling everyone we meet about her brother's first percussion trophy. I'm glad she does, because it's a lot cuter coming from a 6-year-old.