HEB ISD School & Family Magazine December 2016 | Page 8

L.D. Bell High School Band’s Road To State Photo courtesy of Kevin Marlow Inside the Alamodome on November 9, 2016, the L.D. Bell Blue Raider Band made their traditional entrance onto the field and waited for the announcer to say these words: “The next band in conference 6A is the L.D. Bell High School Band. Their program, ‘Beyond the Veil’, includes selections by Borodin, RimskyKorsakov, Prokofiev, and Khachaturian. Drum Majors Lauren Busocker, Cameron Kostopoulos, Aaron Sloan, and Jordan Williams, you may begin your performance for the Finals of the UIL State Marching Band Championship.” The performance in San Antonio was the final stop on the band’s road to the state competition, and it was the show these 267 students and band directors had begun working on five months prior to reach the destination of the 2016 UIL 6A State Marching Band Contest. The journey began with two days of band camp in June. The “band family” began to form as incoming sophomores were introduced to the returning juniors and seniors, and each member began preparing for the road ahead. At the end of July, the musicians and color guard team gathered for the first official day of “Summer Band Camp.” They dedicated the last four weeks of their summer to rehearsing in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings Monday through Friday, and two rehearsals on Saturdays, until school began. During this time, the vast majority of their lives were spent on the field or in the Band Hall, rehearsing steps, music, and movements over and over again in preparation for upcoming halftime shows, school pep rallies, community performances, and marching contests. As school began, the band continued to rehearse in the early mornings at Pennington Field or Raider Bowl. The band members, color guard, and band staff would arrive as the sun rose and were on the field at 7:00 a.m. when the drum major’s whistle blew to begin the rehearsal. The repetitive motion of each step, learning the different tempo for each section of the show, playing music over and over again to perfection, and mastering 6 The L.D. Bell Band makes their way up Harwood Road during the 2016 March-A-Thon. Photo courtesy of Mark Chandler The band rehearsing their Spirit Show formation. the movements were key components of these early morning two-hour rehearsal blocks. October marked the start of contest marching season and the first competition approached quickly. The Blue Raider Band took their first step on the road to state at the UIL Region 31 Marching Band Contest where they received a Division 1 rating during the Region Contest and advanced to the Area Contest. The Area Contest was held at Pennington Field in late October and was the qualifying event for the State Marching Contest. The Bell Band competed against 25 bands in the preliminary contest and was one of 10 bands to advance to Finals that evening. The 10 bands in Finals were competing for five spots to represent the UIL Area B in the State Marching Contest. Following the disappointment of not advancing two years ago, the Bell Band eagerly awaited the qualifying announcement. Joy flooded the grandstands at Pennington Field as the announcer confirmed the L.D. Bell High School Band was going to state! When the day came for the band to travel the final leg of their journey, they boarded six chartered buses at L.D.