What was supposed to be a normal Thursday rehearsal turned into a surprise adventure for our high school concert band, when a corn snake was found curled up inside a cymbal bag. It all started when Taylor Thomas, ninth grade, began unpacking percussion equipment during class. “I reached into the cymbal bag to grab the cymbals, and I saw something that looked like a rope,” Thomas said. “Then it moved, and I just screamed and backed away.”
The reaction quickly caught the attention of band director Mark Lewis, staff, who rushed over to see what the commotion was about. “When I saw the snake, I knew we had to get it out of the room quickly so no one else would panic,” Lewis said. “I carefully picked up the whole cymbal bag with the snake still inside and brought it outside.”That’s when Kathryn Del Rio, 12th grade, stepped in. “Mr. Lewis was holding the bag, and the snake looked calm, so I just gently picked it up,” Del Rio said. “It wasn’t scary, just unexpected. I’ve handled snakes before, so I figured I’d take it to the fence and let it go.”
The corn snake, a harmless species often found in warm or enclosed spaces, slithered off into the grass, unharmed. No one was injured, and the band got right back to rehearsal, though with a bit more excitement than usual. “I’ve definitely never seen anything like that happen in band,” Thomas added, laughing. “It’s not every day your cymbal bag comes with a snake.” Scholars and staff said they’ll be double-checking all cases and bags from now on, just in case their surprise visitor had any friends still hiding.
