On Oct. 11, Delaware Hayes’ marching band qualified for state competitions, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 26. They qualified at the River View competition, where they earned a superior rating.
In order for the marching band to put together a show, they must work on it and perfect it over a long period of time. Because there are so many components including marching, visuals and playing the music, the band began working on their show all the way back in July.
“Traditionally, we do rather well,” band director William Fowles said.
Based on their performance, the band is given a rating from 1-5, 1 being a superior ranking. In the past 3 years, Hayes has earned a 2 and two 1s at state competitions.
Rankings are given based on several factors, including the color guard’s performance, the quality of the music being played, the quality of the marching and how well they can convey the concept of their show.
In terms of preparation, the band practices every day, running through their show in order to work out any rough spots. They also have several competitions before the state competition. From those competitions, they take any criticism and apply it in order to improve their show.
“We are making sure we are performing well consistently,” alto saxophone section leader Josh Carpenter said.
Their relentless practicing will hopefully pay off, as their show is nearly ready to be presented at states.
“We put a lot of work into the show and it would feel good to have it all pay off,” Carpenter said.
On top of hoping to achieve a superior rating, it is also important for the band to have fun and enjoy what they do.
Fowles hopes the band will arrive at the competition and put on the absolute best performance they can give.
