FHS Marching Band has had a strong start to this year’s season. Marching band’s recent competitions include the FUHSD Expo, where they scored first place overall, and the Cupertino Tournament of Bands, where they scored first in their division.
In marching band competitions, bands are split into divisions based on their size. FHS, a relatively small band with 79 members, is in Division 2. Bands in different divisions are judged based on slightly different criteria to make the competitions fair to smaller bands, FHS Marching Band Director Joseph Kelly said.
Each year, bands build their performance around a theme. This year, the theme is pure imagination, with songs like “Pure Imagination” from “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
“I try to pick music that is enjoyable to play but also enjoyable for the audience to listen to,” Kelly said. “A lot of bands do what I would [call] esoteric shows where it’s a theme, it’s a concept, but you can’t walk away humming the tune.”
In preparation for these shows, the marching band holds a band camp two weeks prior to the start of school. Additionally, they practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In marching band, repetition is important to execute routines well.
“If someone screws up a part, I can’t bench them,” Kelly said. “They still play. So we always say we’re only as good as our weakest link.”
While this practice schedule may seem extreme, the total time commitment for marching band members is similar to other sports. Marching band also has to work around other sports that use the football field to practice, so evening and Saturday practices are the only feasible option.
“Saturdays look crazy scary compared to a football game night, right?” Kelly said. “But when you look at the actual time, it’s actually very comparable. It’s just divided differently.”
Students in marching band take advantage of their days without practice to keep up with their schoolwork. Amelie Wright, FHS senior and low brass section leader, states that staying organized is imperative for balancing marching band and academics.
“I just have to make time on the days I don’t have marching band,” FHS senior and saxophone section leader Wesley Hubel said. “[That] is when I do more of my work. Marching band does take a lot of time, but it’s doable.”
Through consistent practice and persistence, the FHS marching band has improved. They have shown growth both technically and among other schools.
“Each year I can tell we’re improving, and our skill level is getting a lot better,” Wright said. “So it’s really cool to see. And it’s really motivating when our work pays off.”
Even through this improvement, losses still happen. However, the FHS marching band takes pride in knowing they put forth their best product each time they perform.
“When you didn’t do all the things that you know you could do [to win] that feels crumby,” Kelly said. “So I always remind them of that, so they can hold their head high, no matter what.”
