INDIANAPOLIS
The Greenwood Marching Woodmen and Irish Guard fell just short of defending its state championship in the Class B division, as they placed second during the Indiana State School Music Association state finals on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Center Grove marching band finished eighth in Class A, but will compete again in the Bands of America Grand National competition on Thursday on the same field.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe top 10 marching bands qualified for the state competition in each of four divisions, that are decided based on school enrollment. Bands started performing in regional competitions on Oct. 19, and 104 Hoosier marching bands were narrowed down to the final 40, which competed for state titles on Saturday, according to a news release from the Indiana State School Music Association.
For Greenwood, which finished second behind Greenfield Central High School, it was the end of a long journey that started in July with a new band director, Ben Werne.
During Saturday’s competition and throughout the season, the Marching Woodmen and Irish Guard performed “HAL,” inspired by the computer in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” complete with a robotic voice, as part of the larger theme of “Man Versus Machines.”
Werne was pleased with the way the band prepared during the cold weather throughout the week. The band had every intention of repeating as champions, as members of the band started rehearsing at 4:15 a.m. before their 10 a.m. performance on Saturday, he said.
“I’m very pleased with the kids’ preparation,” Werne said. “It was a very cold week and the kids handled it super well. Lots of things we’ve been working on worked really well; the end of the ballad and the end of the closer.”
The Center Grove marching band performed the song “Dark Millenium,” centering around the theme of “Bridges Greater than Walls,” inspired by Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” as members of the band held panels, on one side depicting sections of a brick wall and the other side showing sections of a bridge, revealed toward the end of the performance.
Center Grove Band Director Kevin Schuessler was proud of the band’s performance and will work on improving continuity over the next few days to make sure the band is ready for the national competition, he said.
“I think the students have done an incredible job; they’ve ramped things up and I think they’re gelling better this time than a lot of groups in the past. I’m excited for next week,” Schuessler said.
“We will clean some things up, work on continuity, watch the video (of our performance), and see what we want to hone in on, three or four areas we want to push.”
Seniors at both schools reflected on the journeys they’ve been on that are now coming to an end.
“(I’ll miss) the people and the atmosphere and the thrill of performance,” Center Grove senior Ana Cook said. “There’s no other stage like this one and having my last go-around this season was an emotional one for me.”
At Greenwood High School, the band is like a family, senior Colin Short said.
“A lot of bands can say they’ve been champions multiple times, obviously we shoot for that,” Short said.
“But at the end of the day, we’re more than a band, we’re a family, and we love each other no matter what happens.”
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What: Bands of America Grand Nationals
Who: Center Grove marching band
When: 8:15 p.m. Thursday
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium
Tickets are $37 and can be found on ticketmaster.com
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