Marching Band season preview

For the 2017 marching band season, Band Director Kevin McKeown chose a powerful show focused on women’s rights through the years. This year, Samo’s Viking Marching Band (VMB) will be taking things in a different direction with their show Wonderland, a whimsical tribute to "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland." The marching band has been hard at work since Aug. 6, learning the music and drills for this year’s show. “The biggest challenge right now is learning the drill and learning to incorporate the music into it. After that, taking away the metronome and being forced to listen to each other will be the next big step,” McKeown said. After three years of marching band, Drum Major Isabella Chuecos (’19) knows how the process works, and is confident that the band will be ready when competitions begin. This band is extremely dedicated, and they have high hopes for their performance. “Our goal is to get top five in the 4a division, but the best teams from last year changed divisions so this year’s competition is easier.  We are really hoping for a podium spot,” Chuecos said. “Everyone is really dedicated this year, and we have a good shot at placing well. At this point, we need to work on the visual aspect of the show, like synchronizing our feet and exaggerating the movements of their instruments.” Bands in competition are judged on four factors: musical performance, musical effect, visual performance and visual effect.  To visualize their theme, the color guard will be dressed in blue and white Alice outfits, and their dance will include a tea party and a solo performance by captain Maya Reynoso (’19). The show will also feature a multitude of musical solos.  “We have some really unusual solo combinations lined up, like an alto saxophone/soprano saxophone duet, and a piccolo/baritone saxophone duet, which help us play into the ‘mad’ concept for the Mad Hatter’s tea party,” McKeown said. Before they start performing Wonderland, the VMB will be participating in UCLA Band Day on Saturday, Oct. 6. Samo’s band, along with 20 other high school marching bands, will be joining UCLA’s The Solid Gold Sound marching band to play the halftime show of a UCLA v. University of Washington football game at the Rose Bowl. After this, they will have two weeks before tournaments begin. From Oct. 20 to Nov. 10, the band will compete in five tournaments in order to qualify for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Field Show Championships on Nov. 17. “We have high hopes for this year’s show and we’re excited for people to see the product of all our hard work,” McKeown said. “It can be hard to be happy and excited during A.M., but these kids have done a really spectacular job this year and it is really apparent in the sounds they’re producing.”