Standing on top of a platform in front of hundreds of fans, Senior Joel Joseph takes in the atmosphere, and it feels great!
“As soon as nighttime hits, the sun’s gone, the moon’s out, and the night lights are on, I feel like the atmosphere is just so exciting and full of energy,” Joseph said. “Especially in competitive games.”
The marching band is fresh off of winning the gold medal at ISSMA last year. That officially marks the second consecutive year that they’ve come out on top. Because of this impressive record, the anticipation of obtaining a gold medal for the third year in a row continues to grow.
“There is a little more pressure this year,” said Junior Joshua Nicholes, one of this year’s drum majors, along with Joseph and Senior Jacob Dulla. “The last two years were pretty good, so we’re gonna have to put on our big boy and big girl shoes and really try to get it again this year because it’s a little rough right now.”
In order to boost their chance of winning gold again, the band goes through practice routines, ranging from stretches to time management. They practice certain techniques indoors and outdoors.
“We start inside with training for music and everything,” Nicholes said. “Then we go outside, stretch, get in our ranks, and practice the whole show, music and everything. Then we practice our song and break off to prepare for the game and grab our stuff.”
The drum major is essentially the leader of the marching band. Their job is to conduct and lead the musicians. They start and maintain tempo and work with other drum majors, commanding the rest of the band to play at their best.
“We’re the ones that start the stretches and do them at the same time,” Dulla said. “We’re kind of the versatile role within the band.”
Since drum majors have a big role to play within the band, there’s also a decent amount of challenge that comes with it. Being the conductors in the band, you have to set an example for the other band members, which won’t always be easy.
“The biggest challenge is getting them to actually listen to you or even watch you,” Dulla said. “Even if they’re hearing me, they may not watch or pay attention.”
The feeling of winning gold for the past two years was unlike anything before, motivating them to achieve gold again.
“The last time we won was ISSMA, and it was a great experience,” Nicholes said. “We worked really hard that year, practicing all the time, and yeah it just feels good to win gold. It felt like we won the NBA Championship.”
