The marching band season, during which bands compete every Saturday from Sept. 24 to Oct. 12, 2024, has finished all but its final two competitions.
“The students took the material and ran [with it],” Proffitt said. “We have a ton of talent right now.”
They competed at Princess Anne High School on Sept. 21, 2024, and won Grand Champion. Then, on Sept. 28, they placed first in their class and second overall at Hickory High School. On Oct. 5, they were first in their class at Warhill High School and on Oct. 12, they were third overall at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
The typical competition day begins at 8 a.m. when the students arrive. Then, they begin set up, which takes about 30 minutes to an hour, followed by practice for another hour and a half before loading supplies onto their buses. Once they arrive, they practice even more leading up to their performance later in the day.
Judges score the marching band in five categories after they perform for 10 minutes: music, visual, color guard, percussion and general effect. This season, the band played a show based on Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” franchise.
“Since I have been here this is our most difficult show,” Proffitt said. “We wanted to go out of our comfort zone. [The show] is very out of the box.”
Trumpet section leader and junior Mason Ahern and sophomore Rin Arambul cited “Beetlejuice” as one of their favorite shows that they have done.
“It is a very creative show compared to ones in the past where it is just some weird, arbitrary [piece],” Rin said.
In order to prepare for their competitions, band practices every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. They also played during halftime at home football games.
“I think it is the amount of work we put in [that made us succeed],” freshman Noah Berger said.
Pressure and excitement abound before and during performances.
“I overcome nerves by thinking about all of the hard work and practice I have put into my instrument,” senior and alto soloist Bradley Vincent said.
State championships will take place on Nov. 2, 2024, at Liberty University.
“I am excited to see how this season plays out,” Proffitt said.
