Marching band looks forward to competition

Published by admin on Wed, 09/26/2018 - 10:32am

Every year Weiser High School’s Proud Sound comes up with a new show and four new songs to entertain crowds at sporting events. The band also competes against other high schools in the district and will travel to Caldwell for the first event on Sept. 29. The competitions culminate with the District III event on the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium at BSU in late October. The band has new uniforms this year to go with a new show. This year’s theme includes some of the Marvel superhero movies. The band is directed by Jake Fortin.
The Proud Sound, Weiser High School’s marching band, is getting ready to kick off their season of competition. 
 While they began learning and working on their show during the seven-day band camp in early August, and the performances began at halftime of the first home football game at the end of August, they will take their show to the field for competition on Sept. 29 in Caldwell. 
 This year, the Proud Sound is a bit smaller with 44 instrumentalists and 10 color guard members, but director Jake Fortin said that, although small, the band has a great sound and the students are all working really hard to put on a quality show that the audience and hopefully the judges will enjoy.  
 This year’s show is called “Assemble” and is based on some of the recent Marvel superhero movies (namely “The Avengers,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy”).  The music is a lot of fun, and the kids are enjoying it.  
 Fortin said that it’s always special to hear the music from some of these blockbuster movies and then get to play it on the field.
 There are four tunes this year:  “A Promise” from “The Avengers,” “Captain America March” from “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “To The Stars” from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “The Avengers Main Theme.”  
 This year the band is led by one drum major Katie Shepherd. 
 Fortin said that Shepherd has done a great job. The position of drum major comes with a ton of responsibility, from conducting the show to making sure that all of the equipment is where it needs to be. 
 To help prepare, she attended the Scott Reese Leadership Camp in Eugene, Ore. 
 Those who have seen the band perform have probably taken note of their sharp new look thanks to the new uniforms. With the last time the uniforms were replaced, being over 20 years ago, it was definitely time for a change. 
 The usual lifespan of a uniform is seven to 10 years, and it’s nice to have new ones that not only have a fresh look, but also some great modern features, such as adjustable sleeves and pant legs and machine washable fabric. 
 Fortin said this will limit additional expenses because they will no longer have to pay for alterations or dry cleaning. If you look carefully, you’ll see a “W” on the front of the uniform in the original and modern design. 
 Fortin said this time of year is a delicate balancing act between learning new material and improving and reinforcing what they already know. They need to finalize learning the whole show, but they also need to get more  comfortable with the show.  
 At this point they need to remember to play with confidence. As confidence increases so does the performance quality. 
 The band season kicks off in Caldwell, and continues through the end of October with competitions on Oct. 20 at  Ridgevue High School, Monday, Oct. 22, at Parma, with the largest competition on the blue field at BSU, the District III marching band competition happening on Oct. 27. 
 

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