Written By: Miles Watts, Staff Writer
EXCITEMENT: After a long day of preparation, Poly’s marching band’s effort is put on display on Colony High School’s football field.
On the 26th of October, the Poly band traveled to Colony High School to perform their show, “You and the Night and the Music.” This was the nascent of the competition season for the band as the next week there were two tournaments, and every Saturday until Thanksgiving break is consumed by these musical competitions. Their hard work was evident as they won first place and high percussion in their division. However, their effort is not truly displayed in a performance, rather on the field during countless rehearsals and the grueling hours they dedicated to practice.
To start off the day, rehearsal begins at 10:00 A.M. on the Poly field. Equipment was pushed up and instruments were carried as all members headed to the field. There had been a mishap as one of the speaker cables had broken while it was being taken up, but that didn’t stop them from rehearsing. As the heat rose, so did the quality of their performance as by the final run they were prepared to show off their skills to a crowd. They were dismissed at 1:30 P.M. and everything was taken down to load onto the trailers. The boosters hosted a dinner as loading ensued to rejuvenate the tired musicians and color guard for the rest of the long day while also giving them a chance to socialize. “I feel my connection with the students and underclassmen is doing well…the connection I have with them is just so amazing” comments band president and flutist Noemi Quezada (12). And this strong sense of family is evident as people help others with hair and makeup before loading the buses. Ready to leave Poly, the trailer loaders boarded the bus and they rode to Colony High School.
Once arriving at the school, trailers were unloaded and people got ready to walk to their warm up zone. The band, marching drums, front ensemble, and color guard all moved to different areas to prepare for their coming performance. The marching percussion joined the front ensemble as they ran parts of the music one last time. The band then joined the percussion section to rehearse more spots of the music and to have one rep of a full run of their show before heading to the field. Pushing onto the field, the band readies to start their show. The audience is met with the jazzy opener, “You and the Night and the Music”, which then transitions into a lively gospel rendition of “Some Nights” by “Fun.” The ballad, “Found Tonight,” is the third movement: it is a moving mashup of “You Will be Found” and “Story of Tonight” from the musicals “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hamilton.” The band ends with “Coconut Champagne”, a lively nighttime party tune. “[T]he competition went extremely well considering we were struggling a tiny bit during the morning rehearsal” remarks percussion captain Conrad Bagwell (12), the band’s tenor drum player. But the issues that were rising before did not show up and they were able to put on an amazing performance. After leaving the field, they go to pack up all their equipment and head to the stands. Before loading however, the band director, Ms. Hernandez, rounds everyone up to congratulate them on their performance.
Most band members head to purchase food from concessions and watch the other bands perform. After the last school performs, YMCA and other invigorating tunes are played on the speakers as the event shifts to the awards ceremony. Both the principle and band director at Colony High School are mentioned and praised for their hard work before awards were handed out. When it came to the 4A division, Poly won first place with a score of 80.0 and high percussion. Everyone was thrilled they had won as they returned to the buses and headed back to Poly.
As the buses pulled into the student parking lot, car honks and cheers greeted everyone. Now being around 10:30 P.M., everyone was exhausted and ready to go home, but they were also joyous due to their secured victory and having put on a good show that the audience enjoyed. “When I saw people clapping along to our closer, I felt so happy that we were getting a positive reaction” Says Lilly Mcdonald (10), one of the marimbists in the front ensemble. And with this first competition done, everyone is excited for the rest of the season and to get a good placement at championships. The future is bright for this show, and Poly’s band is more prepared to face it head on with each passing day of practice.