BY MELISSA JAIME

WCHS Marching Band and Colorguard placed second at their first competition hosted by Bonita High School. A total of 16 schools in their division participated in the competition. Divisions are based on how large the band is, our school being a large “2A” division band.

Band kicks off their season with what is known as “Band Camp”- a two week long program that is eight hours a day during the summer and consists mainly of practice. From June to October, band practices a set of three songs, slow, moderate, and a closure, every Monday and Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. All of these hours of practice pay off in the end as they get ready for their competitions.

“It’s a lot more athletic than I think that some people might think- a lot of the times the wind players are not breathing, they’re playing,” Assistant Director Maria Soberanis said.

Beyond music, there are multiple aspects that Marching Band and Colorguard has to account for: aesthetics of the march, colorguard syncing with band, the performance making sense to the audience, etc. To construct a march, one would generally have to draw shapes onto the football field and the marching band would learn how to form those shapes by splitting the football field into a grid.

“Placing second was a major wake up call for me. Covina beat us by a point, and in my opinion, we didn’t play at our full potential. Placing second motivated me to try harder for next competition because I know that our team is good enough to place first in every competition,” senior and drumline section leader Chris Telles said.

The schedule for all of Marching Band and Colorguard’s competitions can be accessed at wchsbpa.org.