The Delaware Hayes High School Marching Band is hard at work this week polishing and fine-tuning its show, “Oddly Enough,” ahead of its first competition of the season this weekend.
On Saturday, the band will be one of 15 marching bands to travel to Troy High School in Troy, Ohio, for the 39th Trojan Invitational Band Competition.
Band Director Andy Doherty said he’s looking forward to taking the band to its first competition of the school year.
“I think we are ready,” Doherty said. “We have four (of five) movements of the show down, so we are in really good shape.”
Doherty said the band knows all of the movements and music for the show, and it will spend the rest of the week refining and cleaning up the show.
On Tuesday afternoon, Doherty put the band through several exercises focused on posture and marching, including a drill where the entire band marched in a line, shoulder-to-shoulder to refine step sizes and speed.
Doherty asked band members after each march if they could see where the line had issues and explained that mistakes during Saturday’s show will seem that obvious to the judges, who will judge the band on music, drill and technique.
Freshman mellophone player Lorilei Sinwald said this is her first competition, and she’s excited.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the other bands and the differences between shows,” she said.
Though the competition is an intense event, Sinwald said she’s “not really” nervous.
“I did dance for nine years,” she said. “I’m used to performing and competing.”
Danica Davelli, a freshman flutist, said she’s “a little bit” nervous for the competition.
“I missed band camp, so I’m still catching up on learning the show,” Davelli said. “But I’ll have it down by Saturday. I’m looking forward to spending time with my friends.”
Veteran baritone players Quinten Metzger and Nick Cherup said they are very excited for the next competition.
“We spend the whole season working towards competitions,” Cherup, a junior, said.
Metzger agreed, adding competitions are a completely different atmosphere than football games, because the crowd is not allowed to talk during band performances.
“(At competitions) you perform in complete silence,” Metzger said. “It’s the first time judges will see our show.”
Nathan Egbert, a junior, said he’s looking forward to the competition, but he is very nervous.
“I’m worried that me, myself, that I’m not ready,” Egbert said. “But I think (the band) as a collective is ready. I’m very excited.”
Lizzie Childers, a senior and one of the drum majors for the band, said she’s “not really nervous” for the competition despite literally keeping tempo for the rest of the band.
“This is my fourth year (of band),” Childers said. “I’m looking forward to doing awards and to the performance itself.”
Her fellow drum major, Hannah Stoll, a junior, was less sure Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m terrified at this point,” Stoll said. “Half of the band relies on me for tempo, and if I mess up, they mess up.”
Stoll said this is her third year in marching band, and her past experience is reassuring.
“I marched for two years. I know what competitions are like,” Stoll said. “So, that makes it feel easier.”
The Hayes band will perform at 5 p.m., and tickets for the competition are $5 for seniors and students and $7 for adults. More information about the competition can be found at http://troybands.org/.
