Reaping the benefits

By Jenny Davis

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | 5:01 p.m.

They train over the summer, wear their uniforms on the football field with pride and perform using great physical exertion, coordination and teamwork — all while carrying a tune.

The Centennial High School marching band students worked hard over the summer and are ready to have what they think will be one of the best years yet.

Marching band instructor Mitch Gabel said this year the band is at the same point musically at the beginning of the year as it was in the middle of the year last year.

“It’s the work ethic they have,” Gabel said. “They work hard. They say ‘Let’s see how the hard work pays off,’ not only in the marching season but for the concert part as well.”

Gabel feels this will be the band’s “breakout year.”

“They’ve been steadily improving every year,” he said. “We have a real competitive show this year.”

The half-time show the band will perform is more extravagant than in years past. This year the band is incorporating two 10-foot by 10-foot pyramids and a 20-foot backdrop called “Pyramids of Egypt.”

In November, the band will compete with the schools from around the district at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Kirt Brannen, a junior who switched from a euphonium to a tuba this year and got it down in two days, said the band’s biggest rivals are “all of them.”

But Gabel quickly added: “We support all the other groups, and we always want to see them succeed.”

“But we still want to beat them,” Brannen said with a smile.

Much of the success the band members are seeing this year is because of the attitudes many of the band members have. The freshmen coming in and the veteran leaders are all excited for the future. A two-week band camp over the summer inspired many of the band members to work hard.

“We have improved so much,” said Justine Felton, a senior who is one of the drum majors. “Everyone has the attitude that they want to work hard, and they come to (the) band ready to do better.”

Success of the program, however, doesn’t rely solely on the students, Gabel said. The administration and parents have stepped up in support as well.

“The booster parents (those who help raise money) are working hard and are doing things like cooking dinners for us,” he said.

Parents have had to step up in raising money for the band because of state budget cuts that have affected the band. Last year the band received $20,000 to cover costs, while this year it received $7,500, a 65 percent decrease.

“We are absolutely, definitely feeling the budget cuts,” Gabel said.

Besides doing well in competition, band members said they hope others understand this year that being in marching band is no walk in the park.

“What these kids do physically requires possibly even more coordination skills than any other sport,” Gabel said. “The psychomotor skills needed to play an instrument and march at the same time is great, and hats off to them.”

The biggest misconception of being in the marching band is that it’s easy, some of the students said.

“But it’s not as easy as it looks,” said Jade Mack, one of the color guard captains. “There’s a lot of spinning, marching, counting and playing all at the same time.”

Mack’s fellow captain, Nicole Hart, agreed.

“People think, ‘Oh, you just play an instrument,’ but they don’t understand, that it’s really hard to do,” she said.

So, if it is so difficult, why do the students love to be in the band?

“It’s an infectious disease,” Felton said.

And “because you get to hit shiny things,” said Matt Day, a junior who is one of the percussion leaders.

Fellow band members say Day can’t go a minute without tapping and drumming on whatever happens to be in front of him.

And finally because “you can be obnoxious and loud,” Brannen said

Another reason, most of the band members agreed, is that band members become a second family.

“We all hang out together and have fun together,” Hart said.

The band played together at the high school’s first football game on Aug. 29 and will perform its routine with the pyramids for the first time during the Sept. 26 game..

Jenny Davis can be reached at 990-8921 or [email protected].