Being stressed out is a normal part of graduate school life. One thing that I’ve found at A&M to help relieve my stress is being a part of one of the University Concert Bands. I started playing Alto Sax when I was in 6^th grade and continued until senior year of high school. Once I was accepted into TAMU for my undergrad, I started the search to find ways to continue playing with an ensemble (without having to be in the Corps of Cadets) and found the Concert Band – and I’ve been a member every semester since!
 
One of the nice things about Concert Band is that I’m able to just play music for the fun of it. I don’t have to worry about preparing for a UIL contest, attending outside rehearsals, or other commitments outside of class that would just add to the stress of grad school. I just go to rehearsal for an hour and 15 minutes twice a week, and then have two concerts a semester. I get to blow off steam by blowing into a saxophone!
 
This has really given me the opportunity to continue something I’m passionate about even as a busy student. If you want more information about upcoming concerts (which are free for students) visit the Texas A&M University Concert Bands’ Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TAMUConcertBands/
 
If you’re interested in joining one of the Ensembles, check out the TAMU Department of Music Activities’ website at: https://musa.tamu.edu/concert/
 
--- Joseph Tate
Joseph Tate is a Masters student