Elizabeth Kneisley
Staff Writer
The Mira Costa High School Marching Band had their first competition of the year and blew the judges “out of the water” with their Costal Waters themed show. After many hours of long practices and perfecting their playing, they brought home the gold.
This competition took place on Oct. 2 at West where the band played their way to success. In the show they played the four pieces: Sunset, Shoreline Bonfire, Celestial Reflection, and Sunrise.
“This year’s practices have been much more intense than they have been last year. On the day of the competition we had a few hours of practice beforehand, so the competition was a very nice reflection of our hard work,” saxophone player Brain Zukotynski said.
The judges rated the band on three main categories: Music, General Affect, and Visual. Thje band’s overall score was 74.75 out of 100, which was the highest score the marching band has ever received this early in the year. With this outstanding score the band won Sweepstakes.
“Winning the sweepstakes title at the West High competition was such an amazing accomplishment for the Marching Band,” sophomore trombonist Lauren Schnuckel said. “Rehearsing every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday is the reason we are completely confident with our show. This helped us perform to the best of our abilities.”
Not only did the entire Marching Band win the sweepstakes title, but the percussion sections and the color guard of the band won in their divisions as well. Both groups competed against and defeated Moorpark and Granada Hills.
“It felt really good for Percussion to win. We had been working very hard and it really made me feel like all of our hard work finally paid off,” sophomore percussionist Zack Thomasson said.
The Marching Mustangs played and competed against eight other high schools including: El Segundo, Locke, West Covina, Redondo Beach, Moorpark, Granada Hills, and West High. Costa’s success came after five hours of competition.
“It was really exciting and fulfilling to know that our weeks of practice paid off with some big awards. Everyone’s performance was top-notch,” trombone player Brian Sydow said.
According to director Joel Carlson, each player is dedicated to the band’s goals and puts in hours of practice per week. He said the players all seem to enjoy playing music and being part of this group as well.
“The main thing we always say in marching band is ‘winning is the product of excellence.’ The band has been going out there and trying to do the best they can do. I was really happy that they’ve been recognized for all of their hard work,” Carlson said.
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