The Fanfare Of Hard Work

Teamwork, faith, trust in yourself and your bandmates are all important elements in making marching band a success. Everyone has to memorize their own drill and not one of the members has the same drill as another . They learn that everything ties into one another, and if even one tiny thing is off, perfection is no more.

“It all comes down to believing and trusting every last one of the band members- believing that they will be right and that you will be right too,” freshman Jennifer Knapp said, who plays the mellophone.

If there was one word to describe the band, what would it be? Some say “family” and others say “discipline.”

Band director Ms. Magno says, “It’s the fact that this marching band loves to be an absolute unit, that is what makes them so good.”

Student and staff start working on the show as early as July (in the summer) to learn the music and the drill (the formations on the football field). After that, band camp happens. Two weeks of excruciating conditioning and rigorous learning, all while in the sizzling summer sun.

During marching season, every single day, band members are at school by 6 a.m. and are marching down to the field at 6:30 giving them a short window between that time to get their instruments and get ready for the day ahead of them.

After they march down to the football field trudging along trying to dismiss the obvious fact that they are still half-awake, they warm up with some cardiovascular activities, stretching and running fundamentals until 7 which is when the true marching comes along.

The show theme this year, is “A Letter to Mom.” At first, many were not excited about the theme.

“To be honest, I didn’t really love the show when I first heard about it, but having the music and drill come together with guard work then uniforms, I really like the show,” said Drum Major Elaine Amery.

But some seemed to really connect with it. Some seniors this year recorded “Letters” to their moms, and those recordings are played as a part of the show.

Junior Kaylee Williams felt very differently than most did when the show was announced. “I was in love with this year’s show theme; coming from a single mother I feel really connected it.”

Marching band isn’t just about playing music, it’s the steps they have to take to execute perfection and it is not as easy as the title may suggest. They have to maintain perfect balance and posture when marching and playing instruments. But that’s just the icing on the cake because soon enough it’s not a piece of cake. Without strength and determination, they can’t keep that good posture and balance, and the form would be lost.