This year, the Panther Marching band performed “Pale Blue Dot,” a show whose themes conveyed through the performance “the best show [they]’ve had” in the past four years, according to OH senior and Marching Band trumpet section leader Stephen Balhan.
The show’s themes come from astronomer Carl Sagan’s book by the same name which contemplates the earth’s place in a greater universe and each human’s meaning compared to the great expanse of space.
The Panther Marching Band learned their current year’s show over the summer, and is now in performing season, showcasing their talents at halftime at football games and their competitions. Every year the marching band gets a new show, and this year’s show brings a great deal of emotion throughout the performance.
The performance begins with a great amount of power. “We start off on earth, then we blast off into what is our first movement of the show, and our silks are like fire and I really enjoy it,” said OH color guard captain Noely Ballines.
The front end of the show is a journey through space and it’s exciting; however, the last part of the performance has its charm and depth. The show can elicit a lot of emotion from the audience and even affect those who have seen the show.
“All of the brass players turn around [[. . .]] back to the front and it’s just a lot louder, and that’s gotten me a lot of times, I’m just up there doing my thing, conducting, and then all of the sudden I’m crying,” said OH senior drum major Harley Engdahl.
The spectacles of the performance wows the crowds, but it takes a great deal of effort to get to that point. Marching band members demonstrate that effort by coming in after school regardless of how they’re feeling.
“Are we tired because we just got off a day of school? Yes. Are we still gonna work hard? Yes,” said junior Braden Pawlisz, the trombone section leader.
Students show their dedication by practicing no matter what, even in poor weather or if they’re exhausted. Students additionally practice at home, adding more onto their time commitment. Even outside of performances, marching band can be a great environment for students.
“My favorite memory was freshman year – the first day – and having the best section ever to welcome me in and make me not feel so alone,” said OH senior drum major Greta Woelke.
Members make each other better by being there for one other and helping those around them.
The marching band has been a welcoming community for many students, and they pay it back with their dedication to the sport. The band contributes a tremendous amount of effort each season. All of their effort creates seemingly impossible goals that can be achieved.
One of these magical moments was “making finals at ISU last year, our school had never made it before,” said OH senior Grace Nachtigall, a drum major. Without the entire marching band committed to this goal, they would never have been able to do as well as they did.
If even one member was not dedicated to the cause, they would have performed far worse at competitions. But they have stayed true to their commitments, and their performances reflect this.
This year, the marching band has had some great performances, getting “third place in [their] division” in their first competition, and “second overall, and first in [their] class” in their second, said OH senior saxophone section leader Cullen Childers. Despite not making finals at ISU this year, they still managed to do incredibly well at their other competitions.
Overall the marching band has had a great season so far, and they aim to only get better from here on out.
My name is Monaco Tiffany. I am a senior at Oswego High School and Oswego East High School. This is my second year as part of 42Fifty. I am serving as one of the Managing Editors for 42Fifty. I am involved in the frc robotics team 2338 Gear It Forward.
You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication
