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Soggy weather conditions and the swine flu did not keep the Coppell High School Marching Band from performing well at its first competition of the year Oct. 3.
The CHS Band earned a Division I rating and a second place finish out of 24 bands at the 18th Annual Mesquite Marching Festival held at the Mesquite Memorial Stadium.
“Considering the weather and elements all the kids were dealt the day of contest, the performance went well,” said CHS assistant band director Brandon Slovak.
“The rain stopped just in time for us to enter the field and perform, lifting the spirits of many of the students. Receiving ones from all the judges and taking home second place capped off the soggy day,” he said.
Adverse weather can cause concern for students, Slovak said. Woodwind players especially worry about the effect on their instruments as well as the sound they are then able to produce.
“The weather can play havoc with their sounds,” he said, adding that members of the front ensemble percussion group also have to worry about the effects of water on their instruments.
The 325-member band also had to contend with a few holes in the program created by the absence of 19 students who were ill. Slovak said there were actually only about eight empty spots on the field because other students were able to fill in.
Having empty spots during a performance can adversely affect the group, Slovak said. “The students who must march close to those empty spots must be more aware of their spacing and try not to ‘fill in’ those empty spots.
“The kids did a great job working through this issue – the show must go on,” he said.
The marching competition was a first for about 110 band members who are freshmen.
This year’s marching show is called “Shades of Victory” and the music is by Ottorino Respighi. The recurring theme in the music is victory as is depicted in the three parts of the show, Slovak said.
The music incorporates images of festival (Part III), darkness and light (Part I) and victory and defeat (Parts I and II.)
The CHS Band will compete at the Bands of America Regional Championships in Arlington Oct. 10 followed by the UIL Marching Contest in Duncanville Oct. 17 and the Bands of America Super Regional Championships in San Antonio Oct. 24.
