IN Peters Township December 2017/January 2018 | Page 41

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH HARDY For example, only students in grades 9 through 12 may audition for the Color Guard, as the flags and equipment are very difficult for smaller-statured people to safely handle. Jill Strangis is the PTMB’s Color Guard instructor. Drum Line has a sepa rate audition process. Students receive a packet from Percussion instructor Dan Strangis, and then they audition individually. The marching band’s managers undergo an interview process to evaluate what responsibilities they will most naturally excel with. “This keeps tension low and excitement high,” says Hyskell. “While we try to think of the band as a whole unit, at times it’s more beneficial to work with different ‘chunks’ of the group,” continues Hyskell. “For instance, Drum Line is a subunit of the band, which can be further divided into Cymbals, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Quint Toms and Front Ensemble. The Color Guard can be thought of as another subunit of the whole, further divided into Drill Team, Silks and Rifles. Winds can be chunked into Brass and Woodwind, and further broken down to Trumpets, Mellophones and Low Brass, and Flutes, Clarinets and Saxophones, respectively.” The PTMB practices every Tuesday and Thursday during the season after participating in extensive summer band camps to prepare for the season’s shows. This year marked the Mighty Indian Marching Band’s 45th season and was the band’s second year of playing conceptual music. “Last year, we made the move to conceptual music with our show titled ‘Invincible,’ and this year we opted to bump the difficulty up a notch with our current show, ‘Reflections,’” explains Hyskell. “Our three songs are ‘Reflections of Form,’ ‘Reflections of Sound’ and ‘Reflections of Light.’ Form is a catchy, upbeat tune in compound 7/4 meter that keeps the students constantly moving. Sound slows things down with a lyrical 5/4 meter song that showcases power and emotion. We finish quickly with Light, a very brisk, powerful, exciting culmination of Form and Sound to tie the show together. This music was chosen because it offers our students a genre of music that they otherwise would not experience. With last year’s success, we wanted to push the envelope and do something a little more difficult, and our students are successfully and consistently putting on great performances.” Ultimately, Hyskell chooses the show music for the group, but does seek input from the students and staff. Discussion will begin this winter to start gaining ideas and options for the PTMB’s 2018 season. The Mighty Indian Marching Band holds a festival annually at the Peters Township High School Stadium. Many local bands are invited to perform, and baked goods, air grams and concessions are sold. In celebration of the group’s 45th year, South Allegheny, Brentwood, Charleroi and Robert Morris University marching bands attended the festival. “The students from each band seemed to have a very good time, and the weather (luckily) was spectacular,” says Hyskell. “It’s definitely an event worth checking out, because you get a mix of performances, support music education in local communities and get a fun atmosphere around many other people to enjoy the arts.” Over the years, the PTMB has won trophies and awards for attending parades and festivals, marching, performing in clinics, venues and several other places. The group has been in parts of Canada, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania and a handful of other states for various parades. The PTMB traveled to Disney last year to perform in a parade, and this coming May will be traveling to Washington, D.C., to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade. “In the future, the staff would like to take our group to a band competition where we could watch competitive groups, and put on our show to be scored. We hope to do a performance as a festival group to gain feedback that can hold our staff accountable and help us and our kids improve,” explains Hyskell. The Peters Township Mighty Indian Marching Band is truly a gem within our community. “The kids benefit in countless ways from being a part of the marching band,” says Hyskell. “They have opportunities to display leadership skills, develop those skills through real-world scenarios, work both on a team and as an individual to accomplish a common goal, refine technique, develop discipline, learn communication skills—the list goes on. There is a ton of heart in these kids. They’re proud of what they do; they have a genuine love for music.” For more information about the Peters Township Mighty Indian Marching Band, contact Lorne Hyskell at [email protected] or the Peters Township Music Boosters at [email protected].   ■ Peters Township | December 2017/January 2018 | icmags.com 39