Friday, December 4, 2009
Iktae Park
Staff Writer
The marching band and colorguard placed third out of six schools in the 14th annual Moorpark High School Battle of Bands Field Tournament on Nov. 21, which was the last of three competitions for the marching band.
The band competed in the 5A division, the second highest division in the Southern California Band and Orchestra Organization, against five other high schools. The band received 75 points out of 100.
“While we may not be as great as some of the other bands, we are still a good competitor in the competition. I can confidently say that we did our best-ever performance of this year’s show at Moorpark,” clarinet section leader and junior Chris Bickel said.
Colorguard is a division of the marching band in which performers use props such as flags to add creative and visual apsects to the band’s performance. At Moorpark, the colorguard received 90 points, their highest score ever.
“I think the colorguard did really well considering we got the highest score in the history of our school,” colorguard captain and senior Sarah Woo said.
Throughout the year, the band’s scores have risen in each of its competitions. At the Moorpark Battle of Bands, the colorguard’s score increased by 15 points, compared to the previous competition at Simi Valley.
“This season was an enormous step forward for the ensemble. Their precision and consistency was really stepped up to the next level,” band Director Joel Carlson said.
The band practiced over eight hours a week after school and had “Rehersathons” to prepare.
“Weighing the pros and cons, this season has been a success. We played one of the hardest shows I’ve seen and accomplished more than I thought was possible,” drum major and senior Amie Simmons said. “My only regret is that I didn’t get to simply step back and enjoy the progress that we’ve made.”
Traditionally, after their last competition, the underclassmen of marching band perform a “Legacy Arc” for the departing seniors. This consists of all the freshman and sophomore members playing the field show music.
“During the competition, it just felt like I was performing the show again. However, during the Legacy Arc when the band was playing the show without us, it got pretty emotional,” low brass section leader senior Darwin Zwissler said.
The band will no longer perform its award-winning halftime show at the football games. Band members are looking forward to next year’s show, which has yet to be decided.
“Looking at how this band has performed and developed, I don’t have any regrets. I wouldn’t change this motivation for anything. This band has proven time and time again how successful we can be,” assistant drum major and junior Zeena Bhakta said.
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