Being a part of the marching band takes lots of hard work, long days, and teamwork. The final product of all the hard work can be advantageous especially when there is an opportunity to play at a large competition.

There are many different parts to marching band; there is the color guard, the drum majors, drum line, pit, woodwinds, and brass as well as large props that they are in charge of maneuvering around everyone. There is also a certain way that the scoring is done for each performance. 

“It’s mainly based on 100 points, there’s the color guard system, drumline system, music, technique, and overall visuals”, Connor Paquette, drum major, said.

This is Paquette’s first year as a drum major, and he is very confident in the marching band’s abilities for the upcoming trip to Toledo, Ohio, where they will be performing at the Bands of America Toledo (BOA). This is a big opportunity for the band as they have climbed the ranks and continue to win awards and places in competitions. However, it will take a lot of work to get all of the equipment needed for this.

“For guard, we have flag bags which makes things ten times easier, and everything else we just carry around. It can be a lot to carry, but you get used to it.” Emma Ibarra, sophomore, said.

Everyone who is in color guard like Ibarra can carry their props on them. The main props the marching band uses require a much larger space to help get them to Toledo. And in this case, the props are large stair segments.

“We normally rent a U-Haul truck and load them on there. However, because of the number of props, we will probably need to rent another one. ” Paquette said.

However after the band came back from Toledo, the results of their performance came in and they were awarded 13th place overall in the competition. Just barely missed qualifying for finals but overall a good performance from the marching band.