Drum Major quits over Inaugural Parade Faux Pas

Having played oboe/baritone horn in a Marching Band in high school, I know the joy (and the pain) that comes from being part of a parading troop. There is great joy to be had in bringing music to so many, and in representing your organization/town/state in front of so many. There is great pain and sacrifice required to build up the muscles to stand at attention for hours on end, march for hours on end, play for hours on end, and to show proper decorum for every show. It was all worth it (though I have no desire to join an adult drum corp or marching band now).

Apparently, a minor faux pas at the inaugural parade has blown up into a major kerfuffle, which has ended in the resignation of a drum major (i.e. marching conductor) from one of the bands that marched there. The drum major, having accidentally caught the new president's eye, nodded and waved to him. This was a violation of band decorum, and the band had chosen to suspend him for 6 months (no doubt a normal response for a position so coveted by so many). But an outpouring of anger from the internet over the perceived injustice has lead the poor man to instead resign from the band entirely.

We all need to learn that there are times to stand up for our fellow man, and times to let the rules of a micro-society work themselves out. I am sure many people hoped to get the drum major reinstated. Instead, they have denied him the very thing he loved.