With the school year in full swing, the band teacher and director reflect on their experience participating in the first competition of the year Sept. 24 at Cleveland High School.  

“I’m always thinking about how lucky we are to get to do what we do,” Brandon Martel, the director of the marching band said. “Marching band is an activity, unlike any other. Even though we are competing, every band gets to do a great job. It is amazing that we get to come to school and play music.

When Covid-19 affected schools, many members of the marching band chose to opt out of taking the online course. However, as in-person classes resumed, the marching band is working on getting their participation numbers back up, just as they had them years prior. 

“Compared to last year we, have more marchers, musicians and more experience within the band in total. It’s very different having more experience and more people in the band who know what to do and are able to teach and coach on how to do things. It has been very helpful for everybody,” Adelaide Siegers, drum major said.

In performing their usual halftime  performance “Optical Illusions,” the team won first place in class A. The band also placed first in every category such as percussion, color guard, visual and music.

Martel felt his musicians were ready to compete. 

“My stress level was not that high for this year’s first competition. All the students and band parents worked really hard to make the day run smoothly. I make sure I am prepared, so I can walk in and focus on making good music,” Martel said.

While competing, Sieger must make adaptations in order so the band can perform to the best of their abilities. 

“When I fall in rhythm, I usually look to one of our percussionists, whoever is on drums or just the leading percussionist at that point and time. I make eye contact with them, and I try to figure out how we can be on time together,” Sieger said.

With the first competition under their belt, Martel elaborates on how the team is preparing for the future. 

“As the director, I am always looking for ways to improve the show. There were some nerves at the first competition, but that’s always to be expected. We are more focused at the later shows.”