Today I sit and write this blog post to honor his memory. I also write to remind us to cherish the people we have with us in this life right now. You never know when you will no longer be able to talk to them enjoy them and make memories with them. My heart is heavy. I am sad yet I am gracious that I don't have any regrets when it comes to this young man. This is the first student I have lost in 9 years of teaching. Saturday morning is a day I will never forget.
For those that don't know I am an assistant high school band director at Willowridge High School in Houston, TX. The tuba is my primary instrument. I am over the brass and corps style marching at my place of employment. Anthony was the tuba section leader when I began working at Willowridge 3 years ago. As you can imagine I worked very close with him his Junior and Senior years. Working day and night to impart all the knowledge I had about tuba pedagogy into him so that he could reach the highest heights of musicianship. Anthony would often joke with his classmates and say that he was my favorite student. Of course I could not say it at the time but he actually was. He was a sponge, a great kid and student. Everything we asked him to do he did it. He was a joy to be around, and always kept everyone laughing. He would always volunteer to lead the band in prayer before we would end practice or travel to competitions and games. He will be truly missed.
The last time I saw Anthony was before Christmas break this year. We did a band battle against two other schools that included alumni band members. When he came back from college to practice with us he came to my office and gave me the greatest gift that a student can give a teacher. He let me know that I had taught him well and told me thank you. I will try to recall and share with you word for word what he said. "Mr. Douglas I want to thank you man. The adjudicators at my jury said I have a great sound, and tone. They asked me who my private lesson teacher was in high school and I told them about you. They said you did a great job with me and said they will look into who you are because they think they have heard of you." I was filled with joy when he told me this because that's all I ever want for any of my students. I want them to be respected for being fine musicians regardless of the color of their skin. I know if given the chance Anthony would of been a great band director loved by all his students. He is definitely loved by me and everyone else that had the privilege of having him in their life.
Once again I would like to encourage you to cherish everyone in your life. Let them know how much they mean to you. Spend time with them. Call them. Be nice to them while you still can. Give them their flowers while they are still living literally and figuratively. I'm not sure why Anthony had to be taken from us so early. I would rather him out live me. All we can do is honor his memory and pray for the strength of his family and loved ones during this time. In honor of him tell someone you love them today that you have not had a chance to in a long time. Call that person you may have been holding a grudge against and forgive them. You don't want to live with any regrets. Love everyone because life can be to short and people are precious.
