The Marching Woodmen are anxiously awaiting their first major competition of the season: the Cavalcade of Champions.
The competition is hosted annually by Center Grove High School, this year it takes place on Oct. 4.
“It is a big competition that we go to every single year, and I think it’s been important because it really does set us up to continue to do better in other competitions. I believe five or six other big Class B groups are competing against us this year,” senior Sydney Branch, tenor, said.
The Cavalcade of Champions is one of their first major competitions leading up to Semi-State in November. The band’s performance in these early competitions helps predict the outcome of the season.
“There are a lot of bands in our class competing in the invitational, and it’s important to see how we stack up against them. It is a first test of how our show performs against all the other shows and how it will look going forward,” senior Noah Aylsworth, snare, said.
Though only two other schools are competing in Class B, the Greenwood Marching Woodmen predict intense competition standing in their way of first place.
“Our biggest competitor is Evansville North. They have been pretty good over the past couple of years, and I think that it will be interesting to see how we perform compared to them. We have been working since the summer on discipline and the small details that set us apart,” Aylsworth said.
Evansville North is not the only major competition. New competition is projected to emerge as other bands make impressive changes to their shows.
“This year, Greenfield could be a bigger threat. We have been ramping up our energy at practice and working on cleaning the show we already have to make sure they do not slide past us,” junior Jamie Vandergriff, marimba, said.
The Woodmen will need to impress the judges. Judges will give feedback and critique their performance.
“The judges are looking for a solid balance of clean music, visual forms that are together and well done, musicianship, and just the overall dynamics of the show. All of those together in combination with the general effect of the show are very important,” Aylsworth said.
The Marching Woodmen made a few changes to their show this year to help them stand out. Their costumes have no face coverings, hats, or makeup, allowing them to portray more raw characters. They also added more complex composition and dance to the show.
“Our costumes this year are very different than traditional marching outfits. They are very colorful, bright, and in-your-face. Our show is not as loud as past shows; it is quieter to represent thoughts entering and leaving your head throughout the day. The music is calm but still exciting to reflect those emotions,” junior Nolan Stivers, baritone, said.
These exciting new changes can also present themselves in the form of challenges.
“The most challenging aspect is Part 2 of the show because it has a lot of definition to it, and you can mess up really easily in that part. The drum feature is also a challenge because of the complicated rhythms,” freshman Maddie Dudenhoeffer, marimba, said.
The feedback the judges give on the band’s performance is more valuable than the win itself, providing the band with criticism to improve.
“Different categories of scoring allow us to see what we are the best in and what we need to work on, so going into the other competitions, we know what we need to focus on throughout the practice week and what we could hopefully excel in during the next competition,” Branch said.
The band’s success in past competitions, such as their win at the Pride of Paoli competition recently, sets high expectations within the community.
“Placing well is important because of what it means for the school and the community. I know there are a lot of people who support the band nearby, and it also just proves to ourselves that if we practice really hard since the summer, we can really accomplish whatever we put our minds to. It just says something about our show in general,” Aylsworth said.
