FAHS band and color guard finish season on a high note

October 23, 2009 • Megan Kemmett  
Filed under Feature, People and Clubs

This season marching band and color guard learned what it is like to have all their hard work and practice pay off. Their success this year helped to commemorate their hard work, time, and effort put into preparing for this season.

“It feels great to be this successful. The guard is working so hard this year and I couldn’t be more proud of what they have accomplished, and what they hopefully will accomplish. I am truly honored to work with this group of girls,” Color Guard Captain Shalane Hundt said.

The success of both groups proved that their effort and determination is finally paying off. During competitions marching band performed their show while the color guard did background moves and performed their own show. After their performance the marching band, percussion and color guard all get separate scores and can each win different trophies.

“It’s wonderful to finally have everyone’s hard work recognized in such a positive manor. It’s a tribute to the dedication, perseverance, and enthusiasm of every member,” Drum Major Lauren Hayes said.

Whether it was just spending more time on the routine or adding new material, changes this year helped the groups to produce a successful season.

“This season, we added a riffle line to our color guard. Last time the FAHS’s color guard had a riffle line was four years ago,” Hundt said.

Some people may not know exactly what the band and color guard do. They compete against other schools, score points, and win trophies. Band and color guard, on average, have longer and more frequent practices than other sports. On days of competitions  they will usually hold practice for a few hours before the performance.

Many of the new ideas combined with parts of the old show have made this season victorious. The marching band tried switching it up a bit this year by having less formations during their shows and instead focusing more on getting their show to be just right.

“This year we had way fewer sets which allowed us to get learning out of the way and allowed for more time perfecting the show,” Senior Tommy Johnson said.

Not only were adjustments important to improving the groups but leadership played a key role. The guidance of the upperclassmen and other leaders really helped the new or younger members to better understand and execute important parts of the routines.

“I believe the seniors have made a huge impact on this band through their dedication, encouragement, and leading by example. Everyone has stepped up and done what they needed to do to lead our band through one of the best seasons yet,” Hayes said.

Leaders helped to encourage, guide, and teach the other members in a way that ultimately proved to be positive and effective. Each section of the band has a leader, who helps members of their section to learn new routines.

“Leadership has played a major role this year. Every section leader has been encouraging to everyone else. We’ve all held private sectionals with our sections in order to improve the whole band. With the many leaders in our band helping everyone, we are leaving every competition with awards in our hands and smiles on our faces,” Hundt said.

Preparation for competitions also assisted in ensuring a fun and prosperous season. Many members of the marching band and color guard felt that their practices throughout the week helped them to prepare physically and mentally for competitions.

“To prepare, we always listen to what the judges  say and then try to do exactly that,” Johnson said.

Preparation and practicing did not stop at school. Many times the groups would practice when they arrived at the locations of their competitions. Other times members would mentally prepare by focusing on memorizing important things for their shows.

“When the band gets to the location of the competition, the guard gets together to finish costuming. Afterwards, we use the remaining time before the show to go over certain parts of the show that need the most work. ,” Color Guard member Ashley Kosloski said.

Many color guards thought that they needed to be focused, prepare more mentally and have their heart in the performance before they even got on the field.

“One of the great things about a musical organization is that there is a feeling of satisfaction after a fine performance but a knowledge that there is always room to improve,” Hayes said.

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