Anyone who has children is conscious of those amazing days when you become aware of your child.

You see them at a distance, hear them on the phone or pass them in the kitchen. You push by in your usual business to get somewhere or something and it suddenly hits you, that feeling of "when did she get so beautiful" and "how did he get so tall"…life has happened, and in that moment you realize that what was once unremarkable has turned into something magical and new.

We also have children in the Wando High School band program…300 of them! They come and go in a steady and unbroken stream.

Year after year, new faces say hello with an innocence that belies their age and concern for the adventure ahead, and older more weathered faces say farewell and leave us with a feeling of appropriate loss and a sense of apprehension that all parents and, yes, teachers face.

In an effort to capture the cycle of change, we have dedicated our 2010 fall marching band show to the idea of TURN.

TURN is not interested in the past tense, but totally focused on the active dynamic of changing as part of growth and the proper progression of a child's life.

We begin in fall, when all things turn to rest. The earth goes to sleep and the fields lie fallow.

Leaves float to the ground and the last remnants of defiant green cling to the most stubborn of trees.

Next is winter, the magical dance of snow falling in a tranquil landscape. The icy white blanket simply hiding what is to be the foreground of the wonder of spring.

Spring: a season of struggle and birth, as the world wakes up refreshed from its long solstice. The flowers bloom and the age-old battle of death yielding to new life is played out.

Summer: a season implied, a time yet to be, a history unwritten. Symbolic of the grand adventure that is yet to take place, summer, with the sun on your back and the breeze in your face, is our time to say goodbye.

Scott Rush, Director of Bands, said the music for this year's production is by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Several of the pieces are some of the most beloved famous melodies of all time. The music includes the following:

Vocalise

Prelude in C sharp minor

Symphonic Dances

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Piano Concerto No. 2

"We are very excited about this year's show and have been really impressed with how hard our students have worked musically and visually," Rush said.

Please enjoy the 2010 Wando High School Marching Band production of TURN.