Greetings fellow practitioners of the Tianguo Marching Band.

Time flies. I have been playing trumpet in the Tianguo Marching Band for nearly 12 years in total. I still remember my first training with the band in Wiesbaden over a decade ago. The scene is still vivid in my mind. Looking back on this journey, it has been filled with sacredness and joy, but also with moments of uncertainty and hesitation. With time I have become a senior band member, and I have realized that, now for me it is not only important to perform well myself, but that as a senior band member, I have a greater responsibility to maintain the band, to contribute my abilities and experience to the group members, and to help new members improve.

While cultivating Falun Dafa in China, I learned that fellow practitioners abroad had formed the TianGuo Marching Band. By using VPN, I watched videos of the band, and thus learned of the existence of such a powerful band, composed of fellow practitioners abroad. At that time, the suppression in China was extremely severe. Seeing and hearing the Tianguo Marching Band's performance in the videos felt truly sacred. The band members were like divine soldiers sent down from heaven, their imposing presence awed the evil. This also gave fellow practitioners in China great motivation to resist the evil. I understand that the TianGuo Marching Band plays a significant role in promoting Dafa and presenting the image of Dafa disciples to the world. The TianGuo Marching Band has always been very sacred in my heart.

Joining the TianGuo Marching band

In 2009, at the European Fa Conference in Paris, which was also my first time traveling abroad to attend a European Fa Conference, I immediately saw the TianGuo Marching Band upon arriving at the gathering. The band members were dressed in the Tang Dynasty uniform, and I felt like I had met my idol. Wow, this is the TianGuo Marching Band! I've finally seen it with my own eyes. After the group exercises, I walked around the Band, observing their pre-performance preparations, their behaviors, the tuning and sound testing of their instruments, and so on.

I remember Vincent was the conductor, he held his conduction stick in hand, making rhythmic movements, conducting the band´s rhythm. After the performance of "Falun Dafa is Good," I felt as if I had received an initiation. The resounding trumpet section's powerful voices completely captivated me. During the parade that day, I was fortunate to be in the parade not that far behind the TianGuo Marching Band. I could clearly hear the music all the way, and I felt a sense of joy and sacredness. The two parades in France lasted a very long time—I think seven hours combined. It was almost dark by the end of the second parade, but the band kept playing the entire time. I was amazed. They kept playing! Their skills and supernormal capabilities are truly impressive.

I was fortunate to live in the same city as Shen Yun Orchestra professional trumpeter Ye Hui, and we attended weekly group Fa study at his home. One day, he brought home a 2nd hand trumpet, saying it was something a fellow practitioner in the TianGuo Marching band was selling. I thought this was my chance to join the Marching Band, so I bought it and began practicing. I was also fortunate to have Ye Hui as my teacher, who began teaching me basic instrumental skills. I was thrilled and full of energy, determined to master my instrument and join the Marching Band. However, due to my heavy academic workload, my training time was limited.

With the help of fellow practitioners in the Dutch Tianguo marching band, I had the opportunity to attend the band´s training in Wiesbaden around Easter holiday 2010. I was thrilled. Training with everyone made great progress, and the practitioners were very kind to me. I clearly remember one practitioner teaching me how to properly use a knife and fork when eating Western food, and another encouraging me, saying, "We're in need of trumpet players, and I'm so glad you've joined us." Although my playing wasn't good at all, it was a great encouragement for a beginner like me. From then on, in every parade I participated in, I felt a sense of sacredness and mission. Being in the TianGuo Marching Band was like charging forward against evil and dismantling all forms of evil with the music we played.

Later, due to my heavy academic workload, I left the Marching Band and only returned several years later. During that time, several experienced trumpet players left or temporarily left the band for various reasons, making high-pitched trumpet playing a challenge. The high notes of the songs such as „Fa Gu Fa Hao“ were particularly lacking, leaving a near-miss. Without a trumpet player who could play them, or play them with power, the trumpet section felt incredibly low. The very mention of the trumpet seemed to be a source of worry for the band. The coordinators placed high hopes on the trumpet section's training, which made me deeply aware of my responsibility as a trumpeter: to play well and, more importantly, to bring the power of the trumpet to the pieces. Since then I was determined to fill the gaps which were left by the departure of the senior trumpeters.

Encountering frustration, Master helped me to get back on track

A few years later, the marching band began adding exams, and how to pass them became a challenge for me. I almost always failed the first try, and I had to retake them, sometimes even several times, before I could barely pass. I began to feel discouraged, wondering if my journey with the Tian Guo Band had come to an end. My persistence in wanting to join the band was gone, because I couldn't pass the exams. But I had one thing in common: I persevered with adversity. I practiced my trumpet even harder. In the evenings after getting off work, I would drive my car to the fields on the outskirts of my city and play loudly, even practicing while marching. I often played until it was dark, and the moonlight illuminated the fields. But I still couldn't pass the exams. Later, I realized that my fundamental skills were the problem. Coincidentally, with Master`s arrangement, in 2020, a senior TianGuo marching band member moved his home not far from my city. He began to teach me trumpet techniques and experience, and I began to truly focus on fundamental training. I deeply realized that hard work in practicing the instrument is only part of the equation; guidance from a truly experienced teacher and the correct playing method are even more crucial. Under his guidance, my trumpet skills improved significantly, and I began to pay attention to the details of my performance.

Once I realized the importance of fundamental skills, I knew the right path was to seek professional guidance from a professional teacher. In 2022, Master arranged for me to learn trumpet from a very professional trumpet teacher at my local music school. He was the vice-president of the music school and had over 40 years of experience in playing the trumpet. His repertoire was very traditional. What was even more remarkable, was that he was the conductor of our city orchestra, a frequent participant in large-scale local performances.

So, I had the rare opportunity to join our city orchestra and begin honing my skills in a regular setting. Everyone in the city orchestra is local. They practice weekly and also practice for parades. The members are all highly skilled musicians, most of whom graduated from music schools and have been playing since their childhood. It was incredibly difficult for me to train with them. The orchestra performs an annual concert and regularly attends events and plays at local festivals. They can just pick up new music notes and play them without any preparation easily. For me, as someone who had never received formal music courses, this was unbelievable. The trumpet group, in particular, was full of experts. Every rehearsal was a torment for me, and I felt deeply frustrated. I felt unworthy of being a member there, and I repeatedly considered quitting.

But I knew in my heart that as a Falun Dafa disciple, I couldn't give up. This was an environment Master had arranged for me, and I had a responsibility to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to this group. This was one of the paths I took in my cultivation. These people were from mainstream society and loved music, so I wanted to introduce Shen Yun to them and connect with them. Being rooted in ordinary people, the orchestra was a great complement to my playing. In addition, since I was the only Chinese, or the only non-German, the group members were very interested in me and wanted to learn about Chinese culture.

I took this opportunity to tell them the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa and the persecution story of my family. During training and activities, I look inside for my attachments. I discovered that my lazy, comfort-seeking attachment is still very strong, I also lack patience, and have a desire for quick results. I also cared about my reputation, fearing that my playing would be laughed at or looked down upon. Whenever I saw a repertoire with so many notes requiring precise practice according to the beat, I lost my patience and wanted to finish with poor quality. The city orchestra has weekly evening training. Whenever I get home from work feeling tired and wanting to rest, I'm reluctant to go out and attend two hours of training. Yes, those are really basic attachments I certainly need to get rid of.

Master teaches in "Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference" (7th June 2009):

"Right now, the evil in other dimensions has been badly decimated, and its ability to control people has waned. So, for Dafa disciples, things overall have become ever more relaxed and comfortable. But as things get more comfortable, the pressure lessens; and when the pressure is lessened, it’s apt to lead to a desire for comfort, to wanting a little more ease, to relaxing a little bit, and to seeking some relief. But the reality is, each Dafa disciple’s life has been tightly wed to, like links in a chain, his cultivation. So when you relax yourself, it amounts to relaxing in your cultivation."

Yes, I realized that after coming to Europe, due to the comfortable environment, my attachment to comfort has grown a lot. This little bit of hardship shall not stop me at all.

So I bravely attended training again and again. After returning home, I diligently practiced various pieces and completed the assignments assigned by my teacher. Besides the pieces played at local festivals like Oktoberfest, the orchestra holds an annual concert, which has become a well-known event in our city. Each concert features about ten new pieces, including film music and traditional music. I spend a lot of time preparing, and even more so, constantly improving my music theory and basic skills. I kept up with them step by step, finally joining them at Volksfest this year.

Contributing to the TianGuo Marching Band as a senior member

As I gradually grew to be a senior member, I realized that I had to fulfill my responsibilities. I shouldn't just improve my own performance, but I should also contribute to the whole band. While playing with local orchestras, I observed and learned from the operations and experiences of ordinary people. I found that most members have a genuine passion for music and are willing to help each other. Although my playing is poor and I often make mistakes, they are very enthusiastic to help and encourage me, which is very touching.

Even ordinary people are behaving like this, so as practitioners we should do even better. I've also started contributing to the TianGuo marching band. I've selected several nice pieces of songs from the city orchestra's performances and given them to fellow practitioners in the TianGuo Marching Band. This not only improves our performance skills but also creates an environment for collective practice and coordination, giving us a reference for the repertoire of ordinary orchestras. We can also perform the songs during TianGuo Marching Band concerts. Isn't that achieving multiple things at once? So, several practitioners and I began selecting music pieces and invited some members to practice and perform together. The Stadtkapelle is also a brass band, so our TianGuo Marching Band members have all the necessary instruments and are fully capable of performing most of the songs. I hope to use this method to benefit more members and help them rapidly improve their performance skills. It's proven to be quite effective.

Till today, the TianGuo Marching Band holds a very special meaning in my heart. It's a very important project for saving sentient beings, given by Master. In any major European event, the TianGuo Marching Band's presence is a completely different appearance. I hope my experience will inspire us to better cherish our band, cherish the Fa instruments we hold, and also cherish each and every one of our members. We have walked through so much till today. I also hope that everyone will practice their instruments more diligently and live up to our reputation as a TianGuo Marching Band member.

Thank you all. Thank you Master！

Heshi,

Banghao Gong