(Minghui.org)
The Start of the Toronto Tian Guo Marching Band
When I saw the New York Tian Guo Marching Band perform in Manhattan in 2005, a thought came to mind, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had our own Tian Guo Band in Toronto?” The first time I saw the New York band perform up close was during the Los Angeles Falun Dafa Conference in 2006. The synchronized and majestic formation and lively music moved me and strengthened my determination to form a Tian Guo Band in Toronto.
I bought a trumpet and taught myself how to play. A group of young practitioners later formed a band and practiced regularly. They studied music at school and became my tutors.
With Master’s approval, the Toronto Tian Guo Band was officially established in April 2006. The number of applicants quickly exceeded 100 and then grew to 150. Master sent someone to help us set up sections of the band and guide us through rehearsals, and also gifted us with dozens of instruments. One band member drove to New York to pick up the instruments. His car broke down halfway, but he managed to get there. During that time, everyone’s mind was pure and positive.
The band started by practicing together twice a week. A month later, we had our debut at a Falun Dafa Day event in 2006. At the Toronto Falun Dafa Conference that year, the New York band came to join us. When the massive procession marched through the streets of Toronto’s Chinatown, many people came out to look and listen and cheered for us.
Becoming Mainstream and Mature
We began to participate in major community parades in Canada. Our first event was the Brampton Flower City Parade in June 2006. It was a large event in Brampton, Ontario, that included a parade, live performances, and cultural exhibitions. The band had been together barely two months, with little experience performing in such events, but we decided to apply anyway. We turned in our application shortly before the deadline, knowing that we shouldn’t be attached to the results.
To our surprise, our application was approved. After the parade, the organizer sent us a letter of appreciation and said that they would like to invite us to the parade every year.
Next, we participated in the National Day celebration in Montreal in July. There were 150 of us, and the majestic band impressed the audience. The band was awarded the parade’s highest honor, the Presidential Award.
The following year, 2007, we participated in 34 parades, which covered most of the community parades in Ontario. That Christmas, we played in ten parades, with a record of five parades a day. When we were scheduled to be in two parades at the same time, the band was divided into two groups.
Searching Within in the Midst of Conflicts
When the melodies were more difficult to master, it became more demanding for us to keep up with the beat and remain in step. Most of the band members had no musical background, while many didn’t even know how to read sheet music and had little sense of rhythm. It became harder for them during the rehearsals as time went by. After discussing the situation with a few members who had music backgrounds, we started a class to help band members improve their basic music knowledge and strengthen their fundamentals.
In holding the class, friction rose between the music instructor and me. He refused to rehearse the new pieces and had a negative opinion of the class. He thought that he was better than other band members and didn’t need it, and was hostile towards me. Since I couldn’t work with him, after a while, I removed him from his position, and he stopped participating in the band altogether.
He had left China not long before and had just started practicing Falun Dafa. He took the position of music instructor seriously and insisted on approving what we did or he would passively resist. In hindsight, I should not have made him manage the band’s rehearsals so soon after he became a practitioner. The position nourished his attachments.
The band was somewhat divided after he left; some supported me, while others didn’t. And I resented him. By studying the teachings, I realized that I shouldn’t have focused on who was right or wrong on the surface and that there must be something for me to improve on in this conflict. Looking back, the person who needed to change was me.
As the head of the band, I was attached to fame. Subconsciously, I put myself in a higher position, believing that I could make decisions on my own. I didn’t respect his opinions. I didn’t go over some of the decisions I made with him beforehand because I thought he was hard to persuade, which sowed the seeds for our discord.
I was also jealous of him. He had more experience in teaching than I did. Some band members progressed quickly under his instruction and approved of him. When I heard others call him teacher, instead of feeling happy for him, I felt uneasy because I was obviously jealous of him.
The attachments I saw in him existed in me as well, except that I refused to acknowledge them. Master Li forced me to face them through the conflict so that I could eliminate them. Ever since then, when managing the band, I don’t make decisions lightly. For important changes, I hold meetings with key members. I wanted to curb my attachment to fame, show respect for others, and make decisions together.
Facing Illness with Righteous Thoughts
About ten years ago, a small cyst appeared on the gum above one of my upper front teeth. It didn’t hurt until June 2022, when it swelled up and became severely inflamed. There was an upcoming parade, and during rehearsals, the mouthpiece of the trumpet would hurt my gums, causing unbearable pain. I was unable to play normally. However, there weren’t many trumpet players, and if I quit, it would affect the quality of the performance. I decided to play in the parade, but had to skip the high notes because blowing with force pushed on the tooth and caused sharp pain.
My dentist scheduled surgery for me to get an implant. I knew that it was the old forces trying to make me quit playing and stop me from saving people. If I took care of the tooth as a non-practitioner would, I’d be acknowledging the persecution and be unable to play trumpet after the implant was in place. I’d had that tooth for nearly 60 years. I had been a practitioner for over 20 years and had played in the band for over 16 years. I asked Master to help me save the tooth and solemnly searched within. I found my attachment to eating, especially highly seasoned food. The hot chili pepper in the seasoning could make my throat sore, and too much vinegar could damage my teeth and gums. I also found jealousy, showing off, lust, and desire.
I studied the teachings more. At the end of every day, I evaluated what happened that day to see if anything was related to my cultivation, and if I had learned and improved. I did the five exercises daily for 100 days. I often reminded my tooth, “You are my tool in helping me clarify the truth and have already been transformed into high-energy matter. We should practice together to save people.” Frequently sending righteous thoughts helped eliminate the evil elements behind the inflamed gum. After a while, the pain eased off.
Right before last Thanksgiving’s parade, the same place on my gum swelled up again, this time with pus and blood. I no longer feared it, knowing that it was definitely interference. I frequently sent righteous thoughts for an hour to eliminate it and read many articles on Minghui about practitioners overcoming sickness karma, which was encouraging and gave me confidence.
I have not passed the test of sickness karma yet, but it no longer hinders me from playing the trumpet, and I did well in the eight Christmas parades in 2025.
Epilogue
Looking back on my journey with the band, I understand that nothing happens by accident, and we should treat what happens as a good thing so we can eliminate our notions about it. Our roles and responsibilities should not be intimidating, and we need to be alert so that we will not be unknowingly controlled by our attachments to self- interest, fame, or emotions. When we constantly search within and measure things based on the Fa, we can walk our paths well.
(Selected article from the Tian Guo Marching Band 20th Anniversary Experience Sharing)
