As Saturday, Sept 23 passed, the Big Spring Marching Bulldogs did not celebrate their annual Bulldog Band Brawl. The rain had other plans, and the event was canceled. For the senior members in particular, it was disappointing that they were not able to participate in their last home competition. Most look forward to this as the highlight of the season. The band was also left in a tough spot financially as funds were already spent on food and supplies. Big Spring compromised and held an open concession night at the stadium instead, for the public. The turn out was good, and sales made on food items and baked goods were very helpful to the program.
The theme of the show this year is “American Ingenuity.” The band performs their show at Friday night football games, as well as weekend competitions, and practices run twice a week. The Bulldog’s hard work paid off at their competition on Saturday, Sep 30 where they secured first place at Eastern York, scoring a 72.3 in the American A division. (Divisions are assigned based on the size of the ensemble and are scored out of 100 points). Arranger of the show, Christopher Kilian says that, “Each piece of music represents a different type of American ingenuity and all are written by American composers.”
Art, Manufacturing, Film Music, as well as Aviation are all represented by each of the four movements of the performance. The musicians use their instruments, movements, and expression to create the overall atmosphere on the field. Killian adds that, “As a young country, we’ve had many geniuses who have contributed innovations in their fields, and we wanted to highlight their legacies.” In three words, Killian describes marching band using “Music, visual, and pageantry.”
In many cases, not many people know about the Big Spring Band program and the positive environment that it maintains. So, several members were tasked with summing up this “band culture” into three words.
Unifying, challenging, and exhilarating are the words with which Dena Kilian describes the marching band. She serves as our Wind Section, Music and Visual Caption Head, also aiding in Show Design. Having been involved with marching band for 26 years, her experience holds great value. She is well versed musically, and shares that she has “…played flute, piccolo, and was a drum major in marching band and mellophone, baritone, trumpet, and drum major in drum corps.”
Student conductor Lennon Anderson is currently undergoing his first season with the title of Drum Major. To try-out for the position, an audition is held. Anderson knew that he was ready to “take the next step” in his leadership, and was eager to give back to the band program that had served him well in his four high school years. He goes on to say that “being a role model for the band is really important to me.” Anderson highlights that an “open mind and willingness to learn” are imperative to a successful marching band. The switch from trumpet to conductor is very major and he describes the experience as “definitely a different perspective than being down on the field, but it’s so much fun.” Even though he no longer holds an instrument in his hands, the position has allowed him to hone his musical skills. He says, “ Being able to be up on the podium has made me a really confident leader and a really confident musician as well.” Anderson uses “Dedicated, hard working, and accepting” to describe the band.
Lastly, Daniel Eddy is an eighth grader who participates in high school marching band. His favorite aspect of the activity is the “experiences on the field and the friends” that he’s made so far this season. Eddy uses Stressful, awesome, amazing as his descriptors. It is important to involve younger members, as it secures interest in the following years. It also establishes a familiarity among the members.
In all, the band provides a positive atmosphere for middle school and senior members alike. It provides an outlet to be expressive, gives opportunities to improve skills, and allows members to be part of a supportive team. Members learn discipline, musicality, and most importantly teamwork. It takes every person on the field to make a successful show. Big Spring Marching Band is more than a team, it is a family!
