FL.  Fearless Leon.  You had to be fearless to take on 100+ high school students each with his/her own instrument at 7:00 am in the morning in the pit.  It must have been brutal.  We never appreciated what Leon (Don) Castleton did.  It was just a given that his students would take superiors at contest.  The Christmas Cantata with the Hallelujah Chorus was something else we took for granted.  That rendition included all the current HS students in chorus and those home for the holidays.  It was huge.  We all went because we all got to sing together and somehow it was always beautiful.  We marched in the 24th of July Parade in SLC and we didn’t just do the follow-the-person-in-front-of-you-corners.  We practiced those square, precision moves that had us all at the intersection and then suddenly woven into another direction.  That took work on those summer evenings in Malad, Idaho.

We also had the best Pep Band in the area.  Everyone knew it.  When they struck the chord for “Joyous and Ever Loyal” everyone took note, rose to their feet and belted out the words.  We started clapping the second time through just in case someone hadn’t noticed how happy we were.  In fact, our current Pep Band has won back “Best Pep Band in the Area” as far as I’m concerned.  The other night at the game I found myself a little teary at their rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”  It was moving!  They play everything with gusto and spirit.  They are fun to listen to and make the game fun for everyone.

I distinctly remember when Mr. Castleton passed out the music for “The Damnation of Faust” to the band and very seriously told us he wasn’t sure we could do this.  His peers had told him the music was too difficult for a high school band.  But FL was fearless, and we were going to take on the challenge.  He assured us even if we didn’t get the coveted superior, it would be worth it because we were stretching ourselves.  I remember thinking, “I’ve got to practice,” and I think everyone did.  We worked hard, we competed, and we got an excellent.  Not superior.  I was worried about FL and how he would handle that, but he was so proud of us.  He read us the comments the judges made, and they reiterated what we already had been told, “It was too difficult for a high school band.”  He beamed though.  And you know what?  I still find myself humming “The Damnation of Faust” from time to time.  I don’t remember anything else we ever played, but that one is in my head and still brings me joy.  It’s a Good Life when you can call up memories of good people who worked hard to help others push their limits.  Da, da, da, da, da, bong…. Guess you need the music.  Trust me, it was good!