Homecoming is always the most exciting game of the year, especially for the marching band. My first year in marching band was also my first year going to homecoming. I remember the thrill that I felt playing and marching in front of thousands of people instead of just the hundred that came to any other ordinary game. This year, the thrill was just as strong. As we warmed up in the band room, we all felt an extra pressure to do well. This pressure was caused by the intensive day-long practices that we had in a camp in Pennsylvania this past summer. At camp, we learned the drills for “Los Conquistadors,” “Novus,” and “Malaguena,” the Latin pieces in our show this year. This extra preparation made us feel extremely prepared but nervous as well.

The most important students in marching band are our drum majors. The drum majors are the ones who conduct the pieces during the show, so the success of the show is largely due to them. This year, the drum majors were Sarah Gutman, Emily Long, and Alex Smith. Gutman says that “as drum major this year, I felt a lot more pressure than I usually do at homecoming, but I think that made me even more excited.” This excitement was seen on all the drum majors’ faces as the first whistle of our show was blown, starting our show.

Upon hearing the whistle, we marched forward and silently hoped for the best as we began our 10-minute show. The crowd was cheering and we were playing with all of our hearts. Our backs were straight and our “eyes were intently forward” as Mr. Hayes, assistant director of the band, repeatedly tells us.

At the end of the show, we were both relieved and happy with our performance. Gutman was happy with the outcome and expressed that “the marching band did an awesome job at the halftime show. We get better and better every time we perform.” She and the rest of the marching band are looking forward to a productive and exciting rest of the season.