Marching band ends season on high note
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Randall Walton
December 16, 2009
Filed under Uncategorized
While many students are soaking up the last rays of the summer, some very devoted Marching Eagles are spending long hours outside in the heat. Their dedication has paid off, however, as the school’s band has received an abundance of awards over the years.
Before the season even begins, many days are spent in the band room and on the football field preparing for home football games and competitions. Juniors Ashley Adkins and Ammu Vijay are two important members of the band, as the drum majors for this year’s season. Besides playing an instrument in off-season, both had to learn how to direct the band.
“The hardest part is being a leader. It takes a lot more work and dedication, but it pays off in the end,” said Adkins.
Because of the size of the band, Vijay finds it can sometimes be difficult to keep everybody together and at the same time making sure that she and Adkins are on the same count.
East Meck’s band is also known for its drum line. While they may seem to be the loudest part of the band, they also help to keep the band on beat. Senior John Hawley is one of the captains and has been playing since 7th grade, when band director Scott Clowes recruited students from McClintock Middle School. With all of his experience, Hawley finds that the hardest part is teaching the new music.
“The main goal is to sound the same, like one instrument. But with the increase in the number of players, teaching is more complicated,” Hawley said.
While the band mostly consists of instruments, it is not complete without the ladies of color guard. Seniors Mia Gober and Shelbi Heary are co-captains of the team this year. During the summer, before teaching everyone else the routines, Gober and Heary watch them on tapes to learn the counts.
“Learning and teaching the routines takes lots of time, but can be fun,” Gober said.
At competitions, the Marching Eagles have done well. The Marching Eagles competed at Butler, East Rowan, North Rowan and Hickory Ridge high school. At Butler, they were awarded as Excellent. They earned the title of Grand Champion at East Rowan. At both North Rowan and Hickory Ridge, the Marching Eagles were honored with a Superior rating.
East Meck’s reputation as one of the top bands in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is not only attained thanks to the talent and devotion of each student, but also because of the way that the band bonds.
“Spending so much time together makes it inevitable that we will be friends and one of the top bands at every competition,” said Adkins.
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