11-year-old always dreamed of playing in a marching band — 55 years later, he fulfilled his lifelong dream
There’s a popular saying, “Better late than never.” We all know it’s never too late to chase your dreams but with time, it takes a lot of hard work, determination and courage to be persistent about those wishes. When Kevin Broussard was 11 years old, he dreamed of playing in the LSU marching band, the Louisiana State University revealed. However, in the midst of chasing his passion and acquiring the talent, life happened and he found himself loaded with the duties of an accountant. 55 years later, the retiree decided it was time for a breakthrough.
Broussard recalled his years as a young Tiger fan, when he would dream of standing beside the mascot and play aloud. “I just loved the sound. I actually bought a recording that the Tiger Band with Director Bill Swor did back in 1976. I listened to it so many times that it is probably not listenable anymore. But it stuck with me all those years,” he recalled. Along with the tune, the dream to play remained close to his heart. As years went by, he feared he would no longer be able to achieve this ambition, per CBS News. Having accomplished his career as an accountant, global executive and more, at the age of 66, he turned back to his passion. When he retired, he pondered whether he could actually go back and become a member.
Speaking of his post-retirement years, Broussard noted, “I didn’t want to just sit at home and watch Netflix. I needed to do something I always wanted to do and what kept coming back to me was LSU and the Tiger Band.” But this was easier said than done. First things first, the 66-year-old had to enroll and become a freshman to become a part of the band. “I’m just going to be a student. I’m going to go to class, scratch my head when the professor says something I have no idea about and deal with tests like everybody else,” he remarked. He documented his journey on Instagram (@tigertubakent), right from being accepted as a freshman to all his efforts to make it happen.
The next step was to be able to carry the sousaphone and pass the tryouts. This required exquisite preparation of its own. The retiree hadn’t played an instrument in 45 years but with the support of his family and fellow freshmen, he was able to succeed. He started running and weightlifting, NPR reported. An LSU graduate assistant, Matthew Thompson, helped get the hang of the instrument. “I practiced every day, sometimes until midnight. I hadn’t played since my 20s but it started coming back,” he mentioned. His hard work of months played out when the final list of the band was out. His name etched there meant it was the beginning of his dream come true.
“The instant I saw it, several of the returning members saw it too and they started hollering and screaming,” he recounted. As the oldest person in the band by 41 years, Broussard has one feeling. “Proud is the best word that I can come up with because it's something that I've seen for 60 years. And to see it come to fruition — I’m going to be smiling on the inside, but I'm going to be focused on the outside,” he remarked. For the world, he has one message. “If you have a dream, don’t just put it in the bottom drawer and never pull it out. The only failure is not trying. And for young people, if you have an idea, take a shot. You’re never going to know until you try.”
You can follow Kent Broussard (@tigertubakent) on Instagram for more content on lifestyle.
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