Marching Band Marches Into First Competition of The Season

Marching+Band+Marches+Into+First+Competition+of+The+Season

Donald McElveen, Staff Writer

Do you ever wonder what the marching band does when they’re not practicing on the front field or playing at halftime during football games? Well, much like other fall sports teams, the marching band competes against other schools to see who can come out on top.

On Saturday, September 24, the Paint Branch Marching Panthers competed in their first competition of the season at Century High School in Sykesville, Maryland. The competition came just a few hours after the band had performed in the Burtonsville Day Parade, where they were also judged and scored.

At the Century High School Competition, the band received an overall score of 71.5 and placed second in their 3A division, which is the first time the band has competed in this division in many years. “I feel like it’s a good starting point for our season,” Band Director Mr. Sean Kirchhoff stated. “Compared to our previous first competitions’ scores, this one was better. We were able to play through all our music, but we still have work to do.”

The band performed their show “Remembering Our Toys,” which has been performed at the previous home football games. The show consists of six songs, all going along with the theme of “Remembering Our Toys.” The set started with the song “Pure Imagination” (from Willie Wonka), then “Attitude Dance,” followed by “Another Brick in the Wall,” “For the Love of Money,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” and finally “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (from Toy Story).

While the score for the first competition is good, there is – as Mr. Kirchhoff noted – still much to improve. Mr. Kirchhoff stated, “Finishing our drill is the first priority. After that we need to communicate our theme of toys to the audience better, and we’ll do that by adding more visual elements as well as incorporating more toy props in our show.”

Even with the need for improvements, the band is shaping up to have a strong competition season. Asked about his goal for the season. Mr. Kirchhoff stated, “As with most seasons, our goal as a band is to have a fully completed show that conveys our theme fully and effectively; to connect with our audience on an emotional, musical, and visual level.”

Their next competition will be a home competition on Saturday October 8th, with PB hosting dozens of other bands who will perform and compete making this Paint Branch’s third year of hosting. And with a solid 71.5 under their belt, the band is expected to go even further throughout the season.