Playing “Blinding Lights” on Friday, Sept. 19, Emerson’s band presented the final part of their marching show during the halftime of the Homecoming game against Denison at The Star. This halftime marked a new milestone for the band with it being the earliest in the season they’ve ever completed and performed their competitive marching show. The night set a strong foundation early in the season as the band dives headfirst into the rest of their competitive season. 

“We’re really excited that we’ve got it all learned,” Director of Bands Bryn Roberts said. “Because now we have over a month to get comfortable with all of it so that it doesn’t feel new as we get into the end part of our season.”

While The Star is an excellent venue for football players, the setting also presents unique challenges for marchers due to its echoing structure. This foundation of the building makes it hard for them to hear their fellow marchers on the field and sounds significantly different from playing at other venues. Regardless, the band persevered through and showcased their performance well.

Head Drum Major Bella Kong, 12, said, “That was our first showcase of part three…Even though the Star wasn’t the perfect place to perform, I feel we still had a very good performance.” 

In general, this first display of the end of the show allows the band to propel into their season more rapidly. To those outside of the organization, performing in mid-September might not seem like a big deal but it truly is impressive when considering the previous timeline of the band.

“We’re way ahead of last year, and the fact that we have even the whole show put together before a contest means a lot,” Kong said. “ I remember a few years ago, even at our first contest we didn’t have the full show. So having the full show in and being comfortable performing it, shows our potential that we can grow more.”

This performance was only the beginning as the band officially starts their competitive season this Saturday at the Plano East Marching Competition. The growth they presented at the Homecoming game will only become more apparent as it carries into that competition and beyond.

Roberts said, “The band just got a lot better over the years. Every year that we get better, that helps the freshmen class work better and get stronger faster, and that’s allowed us this year to learn the show faster.”