Ah, festival time. It comes around every year right in that time when winter won't go away and spring can't quite come fast enough. The annual rite of musical passage when band directors and ensembles across the land have that last big push for some of our most significant performances of the year. I'm not sure whether it's the significance of festival, the demand of the schedule, using that last molecule of energy to get out of bed, or needing more hours in the day, but I find this time of year to be really tough. Energy is scarce yet demand is high. In the name of self-preservation and self-care, I also find it vitally important to take some of our precious minutes to reaffirm our work. Reconnecting with universal truths along with reminding ourselves why we are here & what we need to do to push through is really helpful in keeping our momentum and ultimately, keep moving forward. Here are some of the points and discussions we have made in class that have b...