Months spent marching in the hot sun and practicing nearly every day has led to this.
More than 300 marching band students from Center Grove High School and Greenwood Community High School have spent months perfecting their programs, learning multiple songs, mastering movement on the marching band field and giving up nights and weekends to rehearse and compete.
This weekend, they will try for a state championship.
The Center Grove High School marching band and Greenwood’s Marching Woodmen and Irish Guard will compete in the Indiana State School Music Association Marching Band state finals Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. The bands will perform shows they have worked on since June for one of the last times.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The bands are two of 40 that have earned a chance to march in the state finals by placing in the top 10 at semi-state and district competitions.Â
Both bands have been fixtures at the state level, making it to state nearly every year since the competition’s inception in the 1970s. They have won state in their class a combined 16 times. Greenwood snagged second place in Class B at the state finals last year. Center Grove’s performance earned them third in Class A.Â
Both bands have also finished first and earned extra awards in music and showmanship at area invitationals and competitions this year.
This week has been about making sure the students have what they need to put on the best performance possible Saturday. For Greenwood, Saturday marks the end of the marching band season. Center Grove will perform in Bands of America next week.
Students at Center Grove have spent rehearsals this week adding some movements to their show to help draw the audience’s attention. For example, in a few parts of the show, called "In Every Direction," where students stood still, movement was added this week to make the show more dynamic, said Kevin Schuessler, marching band director.
"We want to keep the audience engaged the entire time," he said.
Center Grove students finished learning everything in their show about two weeks ago. Now, they are cleaning up two parts of the show in rehearsals and directors are working at giving the students the confidence they need to perform on a larger stage at Lucas Oil Stadium, Schuessler said.
Rehearsals this week at Greenwood mostly look like they have the entire season, said John Morse, Greenwood marching band director.
Directors have worked with students to clean up parts of their show, "Charlie," and students are working to address parts of the show that could look or sound better, Morse said.
Greenwood will rehearse one last time Saturday, hours before they compete for a state championship. Students who are struggling with some parts of the show also work with other students after practices to make sure they can pick up the skills, Morse said.
"Really at this point, it is a lot of repetition," he said.
Part of preparing for state finals is to have fun celebrating the accomplishment of being a band that has earned the right to march in the state finals.
Band parents threw Center Grove students a pep rally after one rehearsal and each section will go out to dinner together tonight.
Greenwood’s students woke two of their directors up Sunday morning after playing their show in their yards the morning after making it to state competition. The custom has been in place for years since one student rode her bike over to a former director’s home and played the show in his yard. The band area of the high school is decorated and students shared a pitch-in meal at a pre-state party.
Traditions off the marching band field are important to celebrate what students have done, Morse said.
“No matter what the results are Saturday, this is our 40th time qualifying for state finals," he said. "Every year it is an accomplishment."
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Indiana State School Music Association State Finals
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.
When: Greenwood performs at 2:20 p.m. Center Grove goes on at 8:08 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets: $20 for adults and $18Â for students and preschoolers.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
