Marching band looks a little different this year, instead of one big show in 3 or 4 distinct parts, and going to competitions, they dialed things back this year to re-grow and move forward. In prior years, band directors Mr. Cornell and Mr. Edwards put their everything into marching band and the students to perform these top-placing shows, winning multiple awards at competitions. Due to the new high school, Sageview, opening, it’s only been Mr. Cornell running the program with help from other teachers with some background in music. The three songs they played during their show were Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver, and Right Above It by Lil Wayne. The Marching band is playing these songs in that order. This year, for parts of the show, The Dance team has been featured, as well as our cheerleading team.
When asked, what was the most challenging part of this year’s show? Junior Noah Miranda said, “I think for our final song, it was kind of hard because there was a point where only me and somebody else played, and it was kind of hard just to make it where it was loud enough where we could hear, but it wasn’t so loud that it sounded bad.”
Playing with good sound is important in marching band because with just one person playing a wrong note or out of tune, the entire ensemble would sound a little off. That’s why all band members take immense pride in learning and memorizing their music. The Marching band plays at every home Football game, arriving at the stands a whole 60 minutes early to play short tunes and to set the vibe for the evening. Once the game starts, they play between time-outs and halftime, performing their “halftime show.” Marching band has a profound sense of belonging and community. There are diverse types of instruments, like brass instruments, reed instruments, and even drums, called “the drumline” in marching band.
Sophomore, Alan Tapia says, “My favorite memory from this Marching Band season is when I first got to meet the new people, like the new people who came in, like Eddie, he was new, and everyone else. The best part about being in this band is that you can feel like it’s home. You get to talk to new people, make them feel comfortable around you, and stuff, and you get along really well.”
Getting along and cooperating marching Band is important. Junior drum major Titus Silva said, “It’s like a team.”
If people don’t cooperate or don’t go to their dot at the right time, it won’t look good. Like any class, listening to a teacher will help you succeed, the same with Marching Band. By listening to the people in charge, Drum majors and section leaders, the band comes together to perform their show.
A new idea was put together, which involved collaborating between high schools. The PHS drumline, Sageview drumline, and Chiawanna Drumline came together for the Teacher pep rally at the beginning of the school year, as well as going to the opening of Orion. Our very own Drumline is going into the community and playing at Steven Middle School’s Trunk or Treat, as well as playing at Virgie Robinson Elementary’s Trunk or Treat. YOU will always see our drumline leading off State send-offs, even sometimes being the drumline for teams at state.
Senior snare player, Jess Ruesga, said, “It was a fun experience combining with all the other drumlines to have a nice time.”
The Marching Band wrapped up the season on October 30th at the football Senior night, recognizing all the challenging work the seniors put in.
