FeaturesAugust 21, 2014
Area marching bands prepare for upcoming season
Despite what some may think, marching band can be difficult at times -- learning how to march in time, how many steps to take and hauling some of the larger instruments around, to name a few. But for most kids, it's an experience that offers everything from the exhilaration of competition to a family atmosphere...
Despite what some may think, marching band can be difficult at times -- learning how to march in time, how many steps to take and hauling some of the larger instruments around, to name a few. But for most kids, it's an experience that offers everything from the exhilaration of competition to a family atmosphere.
Cape Girardeau Central High School
Central High School band color guard member and senior Breanna Harris has been in band for four years, but switched from playing clarinet this year to fly a flag.
"I love dance and learning the routine," Harris said, adding her new role gives her a different perspective from marching with an instrument.
Learning how to march correctly took a lot of patience.
Percussionist Anissa Wiant, also a senior, played in the pit in eighth grade, so this is her fifth year. People outside band don't think it's that hard to march with a large drum, but Wiant said it's one of the most complicated things she's ever done.
Sometimes she wonders why she keeps coming back, but when competition rolls around and the winners are announced, it's all worth it.
" ... It's really rewarding," Wiant said.
She added that the social aspect of band is also special.
"We're like a big family and we all have common interests," Wiant said.
George Kester, senior a baritone euphonium player, and Melissa Hopkins, a senior trumpet player, both have their reasons for sticking with band.
"My love for music and learning more about it," Kester said, adding he changed to the baritone euphonium from sousaphone this year and is anxious to try it out at competition.
Hopkins loves the people.
" ... We're like a big melting pot. It's just where everyone can come together," she said, noting there are dance team members, like herself, athletes, cheerleaders and "smart people."
In his third year as director of bands at Central, Josh Lamar said he has 76 members, with a pretty equal mix of grade levels.
"I would say this group is very positive," Lamar said. "There is a difference between our returners and our new members in how hard they're working. The older guys know they have to be ready for the first contests, but new members probably aren't working as hard yet until they get to that first contest when they compete against other schools. That's pretty normal."
"Our group, like a lot of bands around the country, is student led. Sometimes they lead sections; sometimes they'll lead musical rehearsals in their section," he said. And many times they'll work with peers who play similar instruments to help them improve.
Something new Lamar thinks he might try this year is copy what Ohio State University's marching band does and have students take their portable computers onto the field and use the animation to help them get a better idea of how to move from one set to another.
"That should help them see the big picture," he said.
Jackson High School
Tom Broussard, director of bands, said the freshman band at R.O. Hawkins Junior High School has around 100 members, while there are about 150 at Jackson High School.
The freshman band is used as an introductory course, of sorts, to marching band. The younger students perform in a few local parades, at the Jackson band festival and a home football game, both in October.
There's more on the calendar for the senior high band, which also marches at the SEMO Fair parade, all home football games and other events. The band competes in one competition a year, in October.
"It's difficult for us because we value the fact that many of our students who are in marching band who are in our band program also participate in sports, and also they work, and they also are in other academic groups. We found that adding one competition was great, but were we to add more, we would limit the number of students who could participate in our group," Broussard said.
"It's important to us that our students are well rounded and are active in other school groups," he said.
Music for the next school year is distributed the preceding spring, so students may take it home with them during the summer to practice. A music camp also is held the last two weeks of July.
"Sports practices then begin the next week. We stay away from those," Broussard said.
Rehearsal time is the first period of the school day, but for three of those days, band members arrive early.
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"We try to keep it within the school day. Again, we have so many kids that are in other groups, we don't [want to] monopolize their time," Broussard said.
As with the Central High School band, the Jackson group has athletes -- of all stripes -- plus debate, drama and choir students.
Senior flute and piccolo player Tessa Long, said the program is enjoyable -- educationally and socially.
"I love the program. I think it's a very good program; very educational. They expect a lot from you, which is very good, and I think they set the bar very high. ... It lets you learn a lot about music and become a better musician," Long said. "I enjoy being around everyone and having a lot of fun. I enjoy making good music, too, playing, just having fun, [and] being creative."
Rachel Donze, a junior clarinet and alto saxophone player, said the teachers will help set up lessons to help students move up a notch if they enter district competition.
"I like being a part of something bigger," Donze said. "I like that we get to play different types of music and make cool shapes and stuff. I love being part of marching band. I like that we're doing Broadway stuff this year. I like musicals, so it's kind of cool to be playing those songs."
In his 14th year of teaching at Jackson, assistant band director Chris Crawford said tunes are chosen by listening to recordings, checking out what's available from different music publishers and watching other groups on YouTube to see what they're playing.
Crawford, who leads the drills, said he likes seeing the visual representation of the music on the field.
"It's neat to see it all come together ...," he said.
In his fourth year as director of bands and 21st year of teaching overall, Broussard has high hopes for this year's group.
"Musically we're off to a great start," Broussard said. "They sound wonderful and seem to grow every day. Marching-wise, because of the wonderful weather we had in July, we're twice as far as we've ever been, as far as what we've gotten done."
Scott City High School
Band director Angela Lachenmayer says the 12 students in her group are hard working and want to do well. Their first test is Friday night, which won't be a full show because of the short preparation time.
In the last two years, the Scott City High School band has been small -- with 12 or 13 members.
"The last two years, we have been rebuilding. Hopefully, we'll get some bigger groups coming up," Lachenmayer said. "The seventh grade's a bigger group, so hopefully in a few years ..."
This group, she said, is "very, very young."
"We have six freshmen and an eighth-grader that I moved up. But overall, they're a really hard working group. They want to do well. They try really hard to do well. ... Everything I ask them to do, they get done," Lachenmayer added.
She noted the size of the group makes them better musicians, because it's a lot harder to hide.
"Everyone's part is so exposed," Lachenmayer said.
Ben Schleinger, a senior trombone player, and sophomores Jacob Martinez and Will Warren, who play percussion and alto saxophone, respectively, have been in band since sixth grade, and fun and friendship are what keep them coming back.
"It's a place where it's easy to make friends. I love playing the music. It's something fun," Warren said.
Martinez said the group has a good sound and it's easy to hear everybody, rather than "a big old band."
The three have been in larger groups over the years, even up to nearly 40 kids. Their sections have dwindled to one from two or three and gone up to six or seven.
"I'd say it was a bit of an adjustment going from six to seven people on percussion to just me. I don't think it's made it harder to play the music, it's just me playing the music," Martinez said.
rcampbell@semissourian.com
388-3639
Pertinent address:
1000 S. Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
315 S. Missouri, Jackson, Mo.
3000 Main St., Scott City, Mo.
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