Making Music in the Military Melyssa Brookshire

Making Music in the Military

Melyssa Brookshire

Jarrod E. Stephens

The Ashland Beacon

Life is sometimes compared to a journey that we all embark upon when we are born, and our choices navigate a pathway that is unique to us. At the completion of high school some choose a career while others choose college or the military. Some even choose a combination. That’s the case for Raceland-Worthington High School Band Director, Melyssa Brookshire.

During the day you can find Melyssa inspiring the next generation of beginning musicians in the district while helping her more seasoned band members hone their craft. She has been the band director at Raceland for eight years and teaches five sections of band each day. Music has long been part of her life and now Ms. Brookshire is taking another step on her life’s journey to use her music in the U.S. Military. This past month she enlisted in the Army Reserves and will be part of the100th Army Band stationed at Fort Knox. 

One doesn’t just arrive at such a juncture in life without some forethought and passion. For Melyssa, it was a bit of both. “I have wanted to do this since I graduated high school,” Brookshire stated. “I passed an audition for this group at 19 years old, but the medical waiver process was far different than it is now. Age and time going by eliminated some of those barriers with paperwork, and I was very fortunate to have the leaders of the 100th Army Band give me another opportunity last fall when I auditioned again. It took a year of getting all the medical paperwork approved, and I finally enlisted on October 16th. This has been a goal 11 years in the making. God had a plan for me; it just involved more patience than I had originally thought.”

Although she enlisted to be part of the military band, she will have to work just as hard as every other soldier. “I am still required to have the same set of skills as any other soldier through basic training, but my job specific training will be improving my musicianship. My primary instrument is the clarinet, which I've played for 20 years, and that will be my role in the ensemble.”

It may appear that Ms. Brookshire has arrived at her goal, but she’s looking beyond the now to consider how her new pathway may affect her future as an educator and mother. “I want to be the best version of myself that I can be for myself and for my daughter. I am very goal oriented, and this commitment will have me forced to be in the best physical shape of my life in my 30s, which is great, and grow as a musician in ways that have not been available to me. There will be aspects of musical growth and growth as a leader I gain from this experience that will definitely translate to the classroom.” 

Becoming a band director has always been a dream for Melyssa and she speaks highly of her band students. “I absolutely love my students. They are talented, hilarious, dedicated, and incredibly hard-working people. I am fortunate enough to get to be with these kids from 5th-12th grade if they stick with band their entire school career here. Most teachers see the same students for one school year, and I get to work with these guys for eight straight years.”

Such close bonds can’t be created overnight, and she clearly states the benefits of working so closely with her students. “We spend hundreds of hours together serving our community in addition to our regular school year. We have a family-like culture in our classroom by the time they get to the high school band, and it is not like that in every band room. I am very thankful for my kids and the culture they have helped me build so we can have fun every day doing what we love.”

While this chapter in her life will indeed be quite different than her day job, there will be some familiar faces and like-minded individuals alongside her. “I have known some of these musicians for a long time and they are a wonderful group of people. I've always wanted to serve in the military and am constantly looking for ways to better myself as a musician, so this was the best avenue for both of those goals.”

Brookshire comes from a family where she had several aunts, uncles, and grandparents who served in the Army, Navy, and Marines. However, while choosing this pathway was a decision that she made, there’s one more part of this equation that Ms. Brookshire considered. “I want my daughter to grow up and realize she can do challenging things no matter the circumstances if she never gives up.”

Ms. Brookshire’s tenacity on the job and dedication to self-improvement is a hallmark for the American Soldier. Our country was built on such attributes. Without a doubt, her school community will be a better place as her dedication is put on display while directing the Raceland band and each time, she dons her military uniform. Congratulations and may God bless you as you serve our great nation.