Standing on top of a tall tower may seem appealing to adrenaline seekers, but to assistant band director Chris Vasquez heights and standing on high platforms terrifies him unless he knows he won’t fall down or strapped in. But to get over his fears, he came up with an interesting idea.
“I’m deathly afraid of heights,” Vasquez said, “but to get over my fear, I decided to work at a bungee jumping tower.”
At his bungee jumping job, Vasquez would climb up the tower about 30 times a day. He would have to deal with around 10 customers that would chicken out. Occasionally, he would work up the nerve to walk over to the edge, look down 100ft. and jump head first, attached to a bungee cord of course.
“I still get freaked out when I look down off balconies and ledges,” Vasquez said.
When it comes to walking down from his seats in the nosebleed section at Ranger Stadium, climbing on top of the drum major podium or going up the tower on the marching field, Vasquez still gets a cold sweat. While working at his bungee jumping job, Vasquez attended school at Stephen F. Austin University, where he worked on his bachelors degree and on his musicianship.
“College was fun,” Vasquez said. “The hardest part of college was showing up for it.”
In his time in school, he participated in his school’s marching band, all eight years of high school and college, marching and playing the tenor drums. Along with all those years of marching, Vasquez participated in Winter Guard International (WGI) for one year.
“One year of WGI was enough for me,” Vasquez said with relief. “It has to be one of the most intense things I have ever been in.”
Winter Guard International is a indoor drumline that contains drumlines, percussion ensembles and color guards that compete with each other all around the world. Vasquez was apart of the Tyler Junior College Drumline that played in WGI. Having 12 hour practices almost every day from December to April 15, Vasquez describes it as one of the most strenuous things you could be in.
“Apart of me misses marching and the other side of me is glad that I’m not the one marching on the field,” Vasquez said.
After graduating in 2010, he went on and continued his music career. Vasquez became a band director down in the Houston area. In Houston, Vasquez taught and helped with percussion ensembles from sixth to twelfth grade. Besides that, he also taught beginner Saxophone, which he really enjoyed playing.
“I loved playing Sax,” Vasquez said. “I wish I could still play it, its been so long.”
After living a happy life in Houston, Vasquez’s life took a turn. He met the woman of his dreams. On June 30, 2013, Vasquez married his wife Holly and they share two cats named Baby Kitty and Figuero.
“I swear Figuero is the devil,” Vasquez said. “I’m definitely more of a dog person.”
At the end of the month, Vasquez and his newly wedded wife, Holly, moved down to Midlothian, wanting a new place to start their lives together. Vasquez heard from the vine that there was an opening for a assistant Band director at Legacy and applied for the job. Later that week, he was contact by Glenn Fugett, was interviewed and before he knew it, he had the job two days later.
“I love working here at Legacy,” Vasquez said. “The culture of the students and parents are like more than I’ve ever seen.”
Vasquez now works here at Legacy as the Percussion/ Assistant Band director. He runs nine percussion ensembles from sixth to twelfth grade here at Legacy, at Linda jobe and at Donna Shepard, six of which are here on campus. Some of the ensembles are self-conducted by the student in them, making their hard work more intense and impressive.
“I want all the ensembles to grow musically and more from mediocrity,” Vasquez said. “It’s fun to come to work everyday. The kids here are ecstatic to learn something new everyday.”
