An elderly man was about to achieve his ultimate dream


Many of us have a bucket list. They can be great for achieving just about anything we set our minds to. However, this man was going to have to wait 94 years until he could finally fulfill his ultimate dream, but was it worth the wait?

A love of music

Many of us have grown up with music as a huge part of our lives. Sadly, not all of us go on to become music legends of the world – or at least give it a shot in a high school band. Frank Walsh thought his goal of landing a spot in a high school band had long disappeared. After all, he was 94 years old and had been out of high school for decades. There was no way he could achieve his ultimate dream, was there?

An elderly man was about to achieve his ultimate dream

Landing a spot

It wasn’t until Chad Davis learned of Frank’s wish that it seemed as though his dreams could be about to become a reality. Chad was the director of a band at Wilsonville High School and had heard about Frank’s bucket list thanks to an administrator working at the senior’s assisted living center. It was just five minutes down the road from the school. It was almost too perfect. Now, Chad needed to put his plan into motion.

Learning the instrument

Although Frank wanted to play in the band, there was an issue: he had no idea what instrument to play or how to read any music. Chad was going to have to think on his feet if he was going to find the perfect alternative. Thankfully, there was an opening on the cymbals. Now, Frank could join in with the rest of the band without having to learn how to read sheet music. All he would need to do was keep up with the beat of the song.

His grand debut

Chad wanted to check with the rest of the band that Frank would be allowed to play. Thankfully, everyone was on board with the idea. Just a few weeks after learning how to play the instrument, Frank made his grand debut at a football game against one of the local school. Everyone was there to cheer Frank on, and their lead drummer told the senior how his instrument was the “energy in the band.” It was perfect.

An elderly man was about to achieve his ultimate dream

A rockstar at last

Frank admits that he had plenty of practice before he headed out onto the field. In fact, the senior asked for cymbals to be delivered to the assisted living center so he could get used to them before the big night. Now, Frank could concentrate on perfecting the cymbals thanks to videos online and plenty of band practice whenever he had the time.
While Frank might have thought his dream of completing his bucket list was over, it seems as though the world had other ideas. Sure, it might not be rocking out on stage with Aerosmith, but high school bands can make some of the best memories of our lifetimes – even at 94 years old.

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