Feet stomp in sync as instruments blare from all around. Roaring crowds cheer and watch as hundreds of students form patterns using their bodies. The thunderous, constant beat of the drum line ties everything together as the field is bombarded with lights. From practicing in parking lots to performing at national competitions, the Fishers High School marching band keeps their music playing.
Every year, the Indiana non-profit organization Music for All hosts the “Bands of America championship”, a national high school marching band competition lasting from Nov. 14 to Nov. 17. Bands are ranked based on three categories: music performance, visual performance and general effect. This year, Fishers High School marching bands ranked 16th place out of 113 bands with a score of 87.2 out of 100.
Senior trumpet player and section leader for the marching band Lauryn Steiner felt that this year’s set, titled “The Roar of ‘24”, was the most cohesive performance the band had ever done. Steiner was also a soloist for the FHS marching band this year.
“Out of the 4 years that I marched, it was probably one of my favorite shows to do,” Steiner said. “I think that in terms of the connection between the band and the ensemble’s cohesiveness, this was the best that we’ve ever performed. For me, I felt like I grew a lot as a performer.”
This year’s set was themed around the Indy 500 and Indiana’s general racing culture. Senior tuba player Gavin Snyder believes this theme made their performance a “fan favorite.”
“Every single one of our shows this season [got] a standing ovation after,” Snyder said. “The crowd loved it.”
Steiner shares Snyder’s sentiment, believing that the band had a broader appeal due to the racing thematic.
“I think that we were definitely a crowd pleaser band,” Steiner said. “Just because our show was geared around the Indy 500 and racing in Indianapolis is super important. Obviously, it’s a big part of the culture in Indiana specifically.”
Last year, the marching band scored 88.9 points with an overall placement of 12th place. Despite the band’s lower total placement compared to last year, Snyder still felt happy about the band’s performance.
“Even though we didn’t make finals, I felt like we really left it all out on the field for [semi-finals],” Snyder said. “I feel like we finished out the season strong, even if our placement in points didn’t show that.”
While the Bands of America Championships is a competition, many marchers like Snyder find that the event can also be a major event for bonding with others in the band.
“I’ve been in the band for five years, but this year I felt the most connection to the people around me,” Snyder said. “I got a lot closer to the other people who play tubas. I feel just closer to the program as a whole. All the practice struggles and hours spent together probably [contributed] to that.”
To prepare for the championship, the marching band spent 20 hours each week practicing their set. Since this was his last year in the marching band, Snyder gave advice to the younger members of the band on how to manage the struggles of marching in their future.
“Keep your chin up,” Snyder said. “Just keep pushing all together and don’t let little things affect you.”
Steiner, also being a senior, gave advice regarding commitment to marching band.
“I think that the biggest thing that you can do is stick with [marching band] and rely on the people who are around you,” Steiner said. “As cheesy as it sounds, marching band starts to become a family. Marching band is a lot, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run.”
