Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009

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Jordan Leedy, a senior at Bryan Station High, injured her ankle at band practice. Her marching days are done.

Sidebar article : Precision, imagination on tap at Bluegrass Pageant of Bands 

Trumpeter Jordan Leedy is standing firm beside fellow band members at Bryan Station High School despite the ankle injury that has sidelined her in her senior year.

"Even though I can’t be out there marching, I can still put a little effort into playing my trumpet,” she said. “I love the band way too much. I’ll still be at every competition and be there cheering them on.”

Her commitment means continuing to show up for rehearsals, too. This week found her sitting near the percussionists and playing her trumpet as the rest of the musicians and the flag corps members practiced for Saturday’s annual Bluegrass Pageant of Bands.

“She knows she can still contribute,” said band director Shaun Owens, who consulted with Jordan on how best to fill her spot in the lineup.

With about 75 students in the marching band, at times an illness or injury will leave a gap in the formation. Unlike drama casts with alternates in the wings and football teams with subs on the bench, “We all dress, and we all play,” Owens said.

Gabrielle Perdue, a freshman among the handful of trumpet players, marched next to Jordan.

“I’ve just got to take small steps and play louder since we have a trumpet missing,” she said, noting, “They’ll give me a new routine so I can fill the hole.”

Jordan, who has played trumpet for roughly nine years, has been a constant for the Defenders since her freshman year. She caught the band bug from older cousins, including two who marched at Lafayette High School.

“I used to go to their competitions and go to state and watch them. I thought it was so cool,” she said. “My mom owned a music school for years, so music has always been in my family.”

Life has been different since she fell on the blacktop a few weeks ago.

“I was backwards marching, and I tripped over myself and rolled my ankle. On the way down, the bone on the outer part of my ankle hit the concrete first. They think I have torn a ligament,” Jordan said, adding, “My trumpet did survive.”

She got around on crutches for a while; her left foot remains in an air cast.

“Our trumpet section was a little surprised at how she twisted her ankle during a warm-up exercise,” said Gabrielle, who appreciates Jordan’s leadership. “She’s a hard worker and makes sure everybody’s playing right and the roll step is perfect.”

Initially, Jordan thought her ankle would heal quickly and she could continue marching this season.

“It really hit me hard when they said ‘Jordan, you’re not going to be able to do anything until you see your surgeon.’ It being my senior year, it hit me really hard,” she said. “That’s my life. That’s all I know.”

But, surrounded by friends and music on a breezy fall afternoon, she was upbeat.

“I absolutely love it. It’s something I’ve always loved,” she said. “On occasion, it’s hard. Back when you start in July, it’s hard then because you’re learning new things that make you want to quit sometimes. But when you get into the season, you realize this is what you’re here to do.”