The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by PLAYING loud for all to hear! This year, the Marching Mustangs have not only shown school spirit but Christmas spirit as well. For the 2022 competition season, the Myers Park marching band performed a holiday music medley called ‘Tis the Season. Beloved Christmas songs such as Carol of the Bells, Skating by Vince Guaraldi, and many more are in the show.
There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into perfecting this performance. Mr. Blount, Myers Park’s band director, stated, “The preparation for the season starts in the winter of the previous school year. That is when we start designing what the show is going to be. By the spring, we know who is going to march and we start spring training. This is where we will bring students in once or twice a week to learn basic marching skills. This includes figuring out the perfect technique for moving or spinning a flag. However, a month before school starts,
the season really cranks up when we start ‘band camp’.”
During “band camp,” the marching band goes over marching fundamentals and begins to set their show. The band works tirelessly over 13-hour days for five days a week over two weeks. Kip Sullivan, the band’s mellophone section leader, added, “The show we learn for the competition is very complicated. There are 70 “dots,” aka separate places on the field that we have to memorize. We have to be at these dots at certain times while doing music and choreography. We spend a lot of time learning this very complicated show.”
All the hard work put in by the band paid off in terms of tall trophies! For the 2022 season, the Marching Mustangs brought home two Grand Champ titles from East Lincoln High School and North Davidson High School. “I have been marching since 2019,” said Sullivan. “We had not won a Grand Champ since 2018, which I was not a part of. It had been three years and we showed up to the first competition with our band full of rookie marchers. We had no idea what to expect. After our great performance, we stood for awards and we heard our names be called for Grand Champions. It was the best moment because it had been four years of cumulative effort for this moment.”
The marching band had a lot of great memories this season. “Our first competition this year was great!” explains second-year baritone Charlie Aliotta. “All of our work had paid off! It was a culmination of all our hard work. Winning Grand Champ was a surreal feeling that we had done it!” Beatrice Polk, the drum major, recalled, “The atmosphere after we won Grand Champion at our last competition was super exciting! Everyone was on the field, yelling and screaming. It was a big emotional moment and a great way to wrap up the season.”
Nine drummers drumming! The addition of the third-quarter drumline performance has enhanced the atmosphere of the football games. Drumline section leader, James Dunlevey, says, “Lots of schools perform in front of the student section during the third quarter but before this year this is something Myers Park has never done. I had the idea and in the first game, I asked the cheer coach if we could play a few songs. It was madly popular from there. It can be very intimidating to have the WHOLE student section screaming at you but I love the energy and seeing all the videos on social media the next day.”
Mr. Blount explains, “I started to see a connection established between the marching band and the student body. That had never been strong before and that was something that made this season unique and fun.” The Marching Mustangs use music to enhance school, and sometimes Christmas spirit, creating a welcoming environment for all students.