Within the first few weeks of being in ENGL 1301, we've discussed discourse communities and the importance of rhetorical skills. By using such skills as ethos, logos, and pathos appeals, writers and speakers are often able to influence their audiences and cause them to feel anything they would want them to feel. Without even knowing it, you, my fellow classmates, and I have used these appeals in order to be accepted into certain social groups and communities. In this paper, I will discuss with you how I had come to be accepted into the high school marching band discourse community by showing my growth as a marcher and a leader, while learning the techniques and unique terms of the marching band, establishing my credibility, and learning how to lead others through heartache and loss. .
In all types of communities, members of the community share the same ideas, goals, values, and ways of thinking. When I first heard the phrase "band is life", I didn't understand what it meant. It wasn't until I started marching band practices that I realized that almost all of my time would be consumed by marching band. Of course, we had practices when school started, but we really start in the middle of July, around the same time football players start their practices. From the perspective of you, my instructor, and you, my fellow classmates, marching band may look like a group of people "walking around". However, if that were true, we wouldn't be called the marching band. During my four years of marching band, I learned what it took to become a great marcher. I learned the "positions of attention". The positions include having my heels together at a forty-five degree angle, putting my hips forward, engaging my abs, chest out, and relaxing my shoulders. As a marcher, the only way to become better is to practice, and that's how I gained muscle memory for these positions.
