Underclassmen anticipate marching, competition season

After not being able to march during her first year of high school, Molly James is

taking on the role of Sophomore Band President and Student Leader. Students in marching band are either learning everything or having to relearn the things they already learned after having to take a year off.

“It’s my first year marching, so I’m learning everything but also helping at the same time,” James said. “It’s not too bad in the end, but there are times where things are confusing and there’s pressure.”

Going along with the stress, playing an instrument while marching can be hard, but for James, it’s the placement.

“The hardest part about marching is just figuring out where I’m supposed to be and at what time,” James said. “It can be hard — but it’s not too bad in the end.”

The marching band started practicing in the summer when many connections were formed and bonding moments took place.

“Summer camp was so much fun — in between morning and afternoon rehearsals, we went out to lunch as sections, and as student leaders, we hung out a lot,” James said. “The water balloon fight was great. There were a bunch of great memories from summer camp.”

The fun from summer camp wasn’t the only thing freshmen and sophomores in the band anticipated — they also looked forward to their first season getting underway.

“I’m really excited — I love being a part of such a big effort,” James said. “I’ve never done a collaborative thing on this

scale before, and I really like the people in the band. They make it so much fun.”

Right now the main focus of the band is on their competition piece and learning all the components of it.

“It’s titled ‘Hello Yellow,’ and it’s a metaphor for coming out of COVID told from the story of a dying and regrowing sunflower,” James said. “It’s something a lot of people can relate to and understand.”