This fall the Trojan Marching Band (TMB) is going on a journey. Their debut contest of the season will be at Northwestern High School on September 13th to compete as an Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Open Class C band. For clarification, the class that a school is selected to be in depends on the class’ size. The show this year is titled “The Wayfarer” and takes the audience through seas and storms on a “journey for the ears” according to Mrs. Wand, the assistant director. Some of the show’s song selections are “Wayfaring Stranger” by Johnny Cash and “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana.
Field Commander Carlize Hawley feels that the show this year is “inspirational” and “shows you how far you can go.” Hawley believes this year has a great group of people and music. She hopes that the audience is able to enjoy the show as much as the band has enjoyed working on it. Senior and soloist Lexi Fischer has been in the marching band for 4 years which has led her to feel secure in her abilities and performance. Freshman Jaycee Reel is curiously anticipating her very first contest and states, “I am excited to see what it is like to be in an environment where the audience is actually interested in the show.”
Both band directors share the optimistic sentiment rippling through the band members as they lead the band on their expedition. Mr. Edwards, the head director, foresees “a lot of competition” and a “true read” on what they have on the field so far. By “true read”, Edwards means an accurate assessment of the show and what the band needs to fix. Basically, it serves to tell the band how the audience reacts to the show and how they can improve it. Mrs. Wand is confident that this show will be “better than previous years because of how much we have done, especially with how early we are into the season.” Wand is thrilled at how far along the band is and sees a lot of potential, as long as the TMB keeps up the hard work.
The TMB has a lot of nerves going into this first contest, but all good journeys have some uncertainty. Despite storms, metaphorical or not, the Trojan Marching Band will go far, using their spirit as a map.
