Photo Courtesy of reporter Cordell Conover
With the 2022-2023 school year quickly approaching, the San Luis Obispo High School Marching Band is working hard to have a memorable marching season.
“The band is preparing by making sure that all our instruments are cleaned and ready to go. We are also looking into what our field shows going to be and checking to see who’s going to be in which classes. We are also checking how many instruments we’ll need for the fall,” said band director Sharon Jeskey.
Sleep away band camp not only provides the band with extra time to prepare for marching season, but also is a great opportunity for all of the members to meet each other. Sleep away band camp has been canceled the past two years due to Covid-19. However, it is returning this year and band students are excited for this special opportunity to be available to them.
“The only time I had sleep away band camp was my freshman year. After two years of not having sleep away band camp, it’s going to be awesome. I’m excited to share this opportunity to the new generations and show them why we are so adamant about sleep away band camp,” said senior band board president Christian Cuevillas.
Having productive rehearsals and creating bonds that not only will provide us with friends, but will help us improve as well is a main focus of Leonardo Zimmerman, the 2022-2023 SLOHS Marching Band Drum Major.
“I really am going to try to make rehearsal time as valuable as possible. A part of me really wants to get awards and things, but then, I think a more intimate part of me just wants to have a really great group of people together and I think we can bond through trying to improve,” said Zimmerman.
Fundraising is a huge part to making the band year happen. The band gets most of its money from the fundraisers that the band board decides to set up. With the large group of people that join the band each year, fundraising makes sure that everyone gets to participate in the opportunities presented.
“Fundraising allows us to pretty much do everything outside of school. It allows us to go on trips, go to competitions, get new equipment,” said Zimmerman.
Band board is working hard to prepare for the fall marching season. One way is by the leadership auditions–which decide who will be assistant drum major, drum major, section leaders, and band board–happen in the spring to make sure that when the marching season approaches in the fall, the band leadership is ready to lead the band. Reaching out to the incoming ninth graders is another way the band is preparing.
“We’re doing leadership auditions. We decided on our new drum majors and band board. We also have a beach party in the summer to help get to know everyone. Integrating the new members into the family and getting to know them–trying to memorize all of their names. It’s going to be fun and I’m excited to help them out,” said Cuevillas.
Preparing for the competitions goes far beyond the class period. Each instrument section has their sectionals at least once a week and on top of that, every Tuesday night, the band has a rehearsal to prepare for the events that occur during the marching season.
“We perform at five home football games. We will also go to a couple of field show competitions and a couple of street parade and review competitions,” said Jeskey.
The marching season runs until December, with concert season starting in the second trimester.
