A rising tide lifts all ships. And melody carries in the movement of water.
The Liberty High School Marching Eagles Regiment is taking this ideology to heart, and propelling themselves into a theme most simplistic and likewise the object of our never ending rapture: pirates.
This year’s show is titled “The Compass and the Crown” and marks the story of a quintessential search for treasure, of which only one bold scallywag can be victorious. In order to achieve this swashbuckling vision, the band has incorporated further ideas of choreography, rippling as water, fluttering as the breeze, or crab-stepping as mateys.
While this movement, accompanied by a music score that ebbs and flows like the ocean it fabricates, does indeed paint a picture, a feature of the show that has stuck out to fellow competitors and Liberty staff and students alike has been singular: the pirate ship.
Over 11 feet tall and displaying a distinct wood finishing, this ship is placed backfield, and features soloists throughout the show, being hoisted towards the sky and made to feel like navigators along the tumultuous symphony.
“It is a lot, but a lot in a way that is fun to watch. It is maximalist, but not in the overstimulating way,” Mentor Team member Keron Bowman said. “The show has a lot potential It is a fun theme, everyone loves it. People have come up to us saying, ‘You’re the pirate show.’”
This weekend, our band took this show to the Seckman marching competition, where they swindled 4th place- just .15 points behind the 3rd place team.
While stashing some booty is always appreciated, the band’s appreciation and pride lays not in the number, but in their continuous progress, and the quality of performance.
“Our run of the show at the competition was so good; it was one of the best runs we’ve had,” Drum Major Sebastian Tabers said. “Everyone was focused and positive, and the band felt in it together- every single person wanted to be in this and perform well.”
The atmosphere in and among the band this marching season has taken on a crucially positive hue. Just as every shift is lifted by the tide, every member of the band is supported by a sense of unity.
“I think just a mutual feeling of achievement is great. I know everyone was really proud of how we did,” Bowman said. “The fact that we are all one unit really reflects how people respond and react to each other for the rest of the day, especially a high tension day like a competition.”
An proactive implementation of this virtue is gilded in the new tradition the band has taken this year, in the form of Regiment Recognition.
Throughout the day, drum majors and the guard captain look for individuals that stand out in their section. Those who seek to support and uplift, and dedicate themselves to the task. At the end of the competition day, during dismissal, the leaders then speak a bit about the exemplary qualities of a given member’s performance that day, and give them a sticker.
It is the hope of the band that this new ritual could, in some small way, foster a start to a greater sense of community, with appreciation as the foundation.
“I think little things like this help our band appreciate and see the good within themselves, and others,” Bowman said, upon reflection of the tradition.
“It is sort of like planting a seed we may never see fully grow,” Tabers said. “I’m a senior now, but I am excited to think I could help build a band that is stronger together.
In a critical harmony, the band is ready to introduce new notes, and trust that their shared vision of treasure will direct them across choppy waters.
