Elizabeth Kneisley
Staff Writer
This year, the Mira Costa marching band is melodic, bold and conjures up sounds of the ocean. The band will be performing with its new oceanic theme for its halftime show and has worked with the choir to use the new technique of singing before playing.
The marching band has teamed up with Michael Hayden, the choir director, to enhance its tone and musical quality. According to students, the vocal warm-ups before the performance and the ocean-themed music make for a very refreshing and exciting halftime at the Costa football games.
“I saw the marching band play at halftime at the first home football game,” sophomore Lauren Watts said. “It was such a good show and it was really exciting to watch them perform. Their sound projected throughout the stadium; I could even hear them play from the top of the stands.”
Each year there is a new theme for the marching band’s halftime show, and this year’s is “Coastal Waters.” This seven and a half minute-long show includes a performance from the marching band playing music that resembles the peaceful sound of rushing water and visual formations to make the scene come to life.
“The show is like watching a beach scene standing back a ways from the beach and watching the water from sunset to sunrise,” marching band director Joel Carlson said.
The marching band also received new music to accompany the theme. There are four movements played during the “Coastal Waters” performance. The pieces include: “Sunset,” “Shore Line Bonfire,” “Celestial Reflection,” and “Sunrise.” Each movement adds another layer of the ocean to make the show come together and form a “coastal picture.”
“I really enjoy our show this year because the music is pretty easy to learn and it is much easier to memorize,” trumpet player senior Ricky Hoft said.
This past summer Carlson and Hayden worked together to create a new technique for the band. They constructed a plan which used singing as a warm-up before playing instruments. Band students practiced singing simple scales and exercises which made the band sound more full and more unified.
“The difference between the sound before we sing and then after is really unbelievable. My jaw still drops because the singing makes the sound so much richer,” Carlson said.
In addition to the marching band’s theme and new singing component, they will also attend competitions like they have inprevious years. Their first competition is on Oct. 2 at West High School. There they will be competing against local high schools of all different marching and playing levels.
“Band camp was very successful because we put some new systems in place. We’ve gotten all of our music memorized and a lot of the drills down,” trombone player senior Karen Izumoto said.
With its new oceanic theme and vocal techniques at the halftime show, the band is sure to transport all to an oceanside evening at the beach.
“The water theme lets us do really cool visuals like our dance in the second movement. I’m really excited about it,” Hoft said,
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