The Marching Woodmen secured a fourth-place finish at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) State Finals on Nov. 8.
The band competed in the Open Class B division at Lucas Oil Stadium where they presented their show, “The Guest House.” This was the 46th State championship for the Marching Woodmen.
To prepare for the prestigious competition, the Marching Woodmen worked three hours every day but Wednesday. Members also practice their instruments at home, adding to the total preparation time.
“As a band, we prepared for State with close to six months of rehearsals, almost daily practices, multiple competitions ahead of time, and personal practice time. The hours and hours of practice build a huge dedication to the show and band itself,” freshman Gibson Craig, trumpet, said.
Every step and note are perfected. Members want to stay in time and in the right position at all times.
“I personally prepared for State by putting forth my best effort every day and not letting the pressure of being perfect for my directors and bandmates during practice crush me,” junior Connor Ellis, tenor saxophone, said.
Drum majors are the leaders of the band, and GHS has three. Senior Araceli Garns described her experience as “surreal,” and explained the performance at State was the best one yet.
“Being a drum major at State felt extra special. Getting to see the band be the best they could be was a very proud moment. It might’ve been because I was a senior, but being under the light and hearing them call my name was surreal. It was so great because I think the performance overall was our best run out of any previous performance. The run really exceeded what anyone thought we would’ve been able to do. For me, I think my personal performance was really good and everything felt solid while we were doing it,” Garns said.
The fourth place finish is especially commendable due to two Class A bands, Goshen and Floyd Central, placing third and second respectively, moving down to the Class B division.
“I think we did great, and our placement in the top five reflected that. We had more difficult competition this year, especially with the addition of two bands previously from Class A. To be better next year, I will work even harder ironing out small details and working together with other band members to help improve myself as well as everyone around me,” Craig said.
Placing highly among much bigger bands adds to the sense of pride members felt after the competition.
“I felt proud of our placement. We had several bands move down to our class. This is the equivalent of our football team going against Center Grove or Ben Davis. On the internet before the competition, no one believed in us because we were one of the smallest bands there. It was a proud moment to prove them wrong. Something I think we could do to be better in the future is growing our sound and putting as much effort in music as we do in visuals which we placed second in,” Garns said.
Band is not just an activity to try to win a championship for four years in high school and then never think about it again. Being in the band builds character and real world work skills.
“Some of the best things about band are learning teamwork because the ability to work well with others with good discipline will be very beneficial in future jobs and careers. Band has led me to meet a bunch of people with common interests as me. It has created a great community. I’m very thankful to all who are involved and alumni of the program,” Ellis said.
The discipline and dedication that comes with being in the band program helps to inspire members to work harder in improving their skills.
“We can always improve, and I know that because the work ethic is already there. No one has ever gotten a perfect score on a show ever, but it can be done. There is always a higher level of achievement you can reach. Even if something seems perfect, there is always one tiny thing that can be improved,” Weaver said.
