The Solo Duet

During three years of band in junior high, I had a fear of performing at musical competitions. And that was odd. I was the last child in a very musical family (my dad played by ear), and I have otherwise never feared doing something in public.

In basic training, I was assigned to the drum and bugle corps, first playing the french horn, then the trumpet, and later became the drum major. Performing off base was a benefit to being a military musician, and we played during halftime at a San Diego Chargers football game. One piece that was a favorite was the theme from the original Rocky movie.

This evening, there were just two trumpet players, myself and another recruit. As the thirty-five member drum and bugle corps worked through "Gonna Fly Now", it was electric. But what was first electric then just gave me a real shock. As we began the part where only the two trumpets played, I learned I was the only one playing. What was supposed to be a duet was only a solo. I played flawlessly even as I gulped in mortal fear. The thought came to me that he who used to shy away from playing whenever it mattered years before was playing a solo in front of tens of thousands of fans.

As we marched off the field. I glanced at my trumpet mate. He sheepishly shrugged “Sorry!” back at me. I dared not think what would have happened if we had both trusted the other one to play, and neither of us blew a note. Dead air during a piece at a NFL half time show might have earned us a longer stint at boot camp!

Takeaway? Be ready to do what is expected of you. And be ready to take on even more when circumstances dictate. Now...go fly!

Timothy Cummings is a Sergeant Major with the Texas Military Department.