I'm with the Band - Gina Atkinson - Band Alumnus - Hollywood and Las Vegas Stylist

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It seemed appropriate to mix a message about the Pride of the Lake's success at the FZM River City Showcase with a message from band alumnus Gina Atkinson.  We are delighted as a band family and a small lake community that the Camdenton Band took first in class, won first in class for best music/visual effect/general effect, and took second overall in finals. But Gina remembers everything that Mr. Baur, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Fall, Mr. Garstang, Mr. Roettgen, and Mrs. Paterson teach the band all through the school year. This band taught her many important life lessons.  Thanks Gina, for letting us know why you're with the band.

• I chose band because I always had a love for music and thought people who could play an instrument were the coolest people. 
• I played the flute. I actually really wanted to play saxophone but my dad didn't think I would stick with it so he opted for the less expensive instrument. Proved him wrong and fell in love with the flute and later the piccolo. 
• Being in the band taught me that as long as I'm prepared for something I will never have to be nervous. "Practice makes perfect" 
• I have so many band memories that make me smile, laugh, cry but one that always stuck with me was sitting in class on the very last day of my senior year after all the students left for their next class. I stayed a little longer to take it in and say goodbye to my favorite place, and one of my greatest mentors, catching Mr. Baur with those familiar tears we all know so well.  I remember bursting in to probably the most obnoxious sobbing mess, and that was the only time I cried during graduation. Saying good bye to band was by far the hardest thing to leave behind. 
• I currently reside in Los Angeles California where I have a studio hair salon, I also take clients in a salon in Las Vegas. I work as a freelance hair stylist on photo shoots, fashion shows, commercials, award shows, music festivals and music videos. I also teach as a platform artist and social media marketing expert across the country and sometimes abroad. 
• Band did so much more than teach me how to play an instrument. I learned a work ethic that set me apart from so many new comers and senior stylists when I first started my career. I knew that I didn't have to be the most talented as long as I out worked everyone around me. I learned how to work in groups, setting differences aside to work together towards the bigger picture. I knew as long as I had practice and was prepared for what I was working on I would not be nervous, whether it be educating on stages for 5000+ people (some of which have been doing my job longer than I've been alive) or working with celebrities. Band taught me how to be confident in myself. Always taking part in solos or as Drum Major taught me the importance of being comfortable being uncomfortable, if we stay in our comfort zones we will never achieve growth. 
• Band definitely wouldn't have been the same without the dynamic duo that was Jackie and Gina. I think the universe put us together to annoy everyone around us, like the puppy that pees on the rug but you can't stay mad at because of the cuteness...or so we thought hahaha. Without band we probably never would've became friends. We were even voted "most likely to stay friends" in high school and I'm literally typing this out on my flight to Missouri to help her shop for her wedding dress. So I guess I could say one of the greatest gifts band gave me was a life long friend.