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The Road Here

Writer's picture: Ryan ReedRyan Reed

Every time I see that "The Road Here," I think of my favorite TV show, Supernatural, and then hear "Carry On Wayward Son." It is one of the only shows that I made time to watch when it released. That reimagined version of "Carry on Wayward Son," by NEONI for the finale is amazing. Highly recommend.


The other thing I think of when I hear/say "The Road Here," is the 10 year challenge I keep seeing all over my social media. 10 years ago I was 24 and had no idea what I was doing let alone where I was going. I had a music education degree and was in the middle of applying for band director jobs. Right before I graduated from college in 2010, the retirement qualifications changed from 30 to 35 years. So all the jobs that everyone said where going to be available upon graduation where definitely not available. So at 24, I was in the middle of applying for 200+ teaching jobs (over 5 years), hearing back from 2 of them, and getting none of them. A few years later my teaching license expired, without getting a job. Rather than spend thousands of dollars to take the courses needed to renew it, I let it go and decided to pursue writing and teaching percussion full-time.


Since no full time teaching job was in my future, I was still living at home during that time. I was substitute teaching and teaching a few lessons. I was also helping take care of my grandmother while both my parents worked. I lived at home until I was 28. At 28, I had 2 teaching gigs but was driving 600 miles a week for them. I remember one day doing the math that I was probably making just enough to be able to live on my own and decided I was done living at home. My parents never would have kicked me out, but this was the best decision I made as it me forced me to make this career path work.


At 24, I would have just been discovering my voice as a writer/arranger in the marching arts, and really only writing for the groups I was teaching. This has been the biggest change in the last 10 years as now I am very close to be able to make writing a living. The summer of 2012 was my first year teaching DCI at the Glassmen. I did the entire summer and was in WAY over my head. I had made the jump from teaching A class/high school front ensembles to teaching a World Class front ensemble. I look back and laugh now at that version of myself teaching, but then I was giving everything I had to try to be successful. I met some of my best friends that summer on that percussion staff.


I also joined the staff of Matrix that year (for the 2013 winter season) and have been there ever since. Rob would tell you that I am the reason Matrix Open was brought into existence. I also pushed for Matrix A to start a year ago when COVID was affecting local high school indoor programs. I have grown/been pushed so much as a teacher being involved with this organization. The students over this time have had as much impact on me as I hopefully have had on them.


Since then I walked away from DCI in 2015 because my life was falling apart at that time. I spent 3 years evaluating, and working on, myself. In 2018 I got the itch to try teaching DCI again. I told myself I was going to do it 1 year and see how/if my life could handle it. On a whim I sent out inquires to a few drum corps and ended up at Southwind. I ended up having a much better experience this time around just because I was in a better state of life. They have given my first opportunity to arrange for DCI, and I have meet more amazing friends through that organization.


So all that has lead to being here. I won't lie and words won't do it justice, but it has been a struggle to get here. Nothing has been easy to get here, and I would assume that nothing from here will be easy. However, the struggle has made the journey worth it.

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