It’s only been three weeks since the school year started, but band students have been on campus since late July learning the musical and visual aspects necessary for the marching season that starts Sept 30.

“Aside from establishing a musical and fundamental foundation upon which we can build a really phenomenal program, it also really brings the band together in a community sense and establishes sections and dynamics within the sections,” senior drum major Shane Bugni said.

The band showcased its marching show, Dystopia, for the first time at the season opening football game.

“Our first run, as all the band directors have stated, has been the best first run we’ve had in 12 years,” senior drum major Marshall Mixon said. “I have really high hopes for this season.”

At football games the band works on helping with school spirit and help support the drill team, football team, and the cheerleaders. However, contests have a very different structure and end goal.

“It’s really a chance for us to show off the hard work that we’ve put in,” senior drum major Caitlyn Hazzard said. “We spend the whole day rehearsing and performing and spending time together as a band program.”

The band has never made it to state marching contest, so this year they’ve made it a concrete goal.

“In this past year specifically I’ve seen a shift from the band being oriented towards a goal to more towards the process by which we achieve said goal,” Bugni said. “Specifically this state year the goal is clearly to make state marching contest which I believe we do have the clear potential to achieve but who we are in the process in what we do in the process towards that goal will really determine what this band program is.”

Assistant Band Director Tyler Elvidge sees this year as an opportunity for the band to compete and improve against themselves.

“Every single rehearsal, every single game and practice has been everybody’s best and the goal for this year is just to be better than ourselves every single day,” Elvidge said. “I think we are just competing against ourselves and I know that this is the best we’ve ever been so comparatively to last season I think we will do better than we have previously.”