Marching band swept at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and had another strong showing in Westbrook

By Rory White, Staff Writer

SHS’s Marching Band has seen two incredibly successful show weekends. Their show, Beacon, is about all of the lighthouses around Maine and based on a poem by Henry Longfellow.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the program swept their division in all five of their categories, including Best percussion, Best music, Best effect, Best visual, and Best color guard.

This competition was not like any other one they’ve been to, this was a invitational from US Bands and it was hosted at University of Massachusetts Amherst. There were multiple different classes of bands there but Sanford High’s Marching Band was in class 3A along with Everett High School and Plymouth North High School. 

The following Saturday on Oct. 5, the Marching Band and Color Guard achieved four stars in Maine Band Director’s Association’s competition at Westbrook High School.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to Marching Band. There are five different sections with multiple instruments in each. 

The first section is battery, which is basically the marching version of percussion. This is one out of the two forms of percussion in marching band. They usually provide the tempo for the whole show, which is very important in order to stay in time. Their section leader’s name is Daysha Watson and has been doing this for seven seasons. 

Her advice to new marchers who are hesitant about joining is is “..it is a very welcoming atmosphere that loves to have new perspectives and personalities. It also is a great place to gain new confidence.”

Our second version of percussion is front ensemble. They play instruments on the front sidelines, instead of moving around they are stationary. Tim McGee is their section leader and he has been doing this for two years. McGee plays a variety of instruments like saxophone, trombone, trumpet, piano, and flute. Front ensemble is in charge of many important things, like voice memos and sound effects. 

The next section is brass and their section leader is Kilee Francis. She plays trumpet but she also plays bass drum, guitar and flute. She says that her favorite part of marching is the experiences and the memories. Their main advantage is that they play loudly and use their projection. 

Next is Woodwinds, which gives variety to the band and use a lot of different dynamics in order to bring said variety.  Their section leader and co drum major, Lydia Treadwell, has been doing this for 4 years and says that “It really is a place to find your people and your purpose, where you can work together to create something truly impactful.”

Drum Majors Treadwell and Quang Lam an set the tempo for the whole band. They want us to know that “If you’re interested, you need little else than an instrument, able body and good attitude.”

Our final section is the color guard. They are very visual because they use flags, rifles, sabres, and sometimes other pieces of equipment in order to bring a pop of color, or feeling to the show.  Their captain, Hannah Dearborn, has been spinning for five seasons, this will be her sixth. Dearborn also plays clarinet and bass clarinet and her favorite part about marching is the comfortable feeling and atmosphere it brings.

She wants to let rookie spinners know that “it will be such a positive experience and it’s fun to just try out.”