Preparing For Peach State

Olivia Taft, Staff Writer

On Saturday, October 22, The Pride of The Indians Marching Band competed in the annual Peach State competition at Barron Stadium in Rome. This year, the marching band competed in class A. The marching band’s show theme was “America: The Beautiful,” which includes musical selections from “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue. The band earned a superior rating. Color Guard won first in class as well as our Drum Major, Ryan Strickland. 

AHS Pride of The Indians Marching Band goes through multiple practices to prepare for marching competitions. Silent practices have helped develop a faster routine of moving quicker when learning sets. Silent practice starts when the marching band members step onto the parking lot. The only time members get to talk is during water breaks.

Preparing for a competition is a rigorous process, especially for the drum major. Strickland said, “I did more practicing outside of the band at my house or in my free time. At school, I listened to the show’s music. I went through the parts that I was foggy on.” Practice on a normal day for the drum major consists of running spots in drill over and over again. A drum major as well as leadership help marching members find their sets when learning drill. Tate Burnam, a senior percussionist at AHS said, “I went to all my practices of course, and practiced at home. For the most part, it was mainly mentally preparing myself for my last Peach State which was a big thing for me.”

While preparing for a competition, the marching band also uses football games as practice. Most marchers go through a similar process. David Easton, a freshman trumpet at AHS said, “I made sure all my music was memorized, and I tried to get over the nervousness of performing.” The practice for competitions is a rigorous process. Hard work pays off, especially when you have worked hard to win.