With a closing band season upon us, the Air Academy Marching Band has set their eyes on the State Championship and are ready to march to their goal. For the past four years, the Marching Band has been undefeated in the state of Colorado. With the pressure on, can they pull out another win for the school?

Arabesque! The 2014 marching band show is themed off of the Persian and Arabic design the “Arabesque.” It includes multiple visual techniques which are based off of ballet moves like an “Arabesque”. With music written by the band’s favorite composer/arranger, Aaron Guidry, the Kadets seem confident on their odds for this year.

This year’s Kadet marching band is composed of 150 dedicated band kids. There are 30 guard members who’ve practiced all summer to learn flag and rifle skills. The playing members and the guard attended multiple camps over the summer to ensure their success. The amount of commitment they have is shown through the sacrifices (time, illness, and their souls as they like to joke) they have made for the band over the summer and the school year.

Another new aspect of the band are the new instructors that have joined the band’s staff. Mr. Entin is the new drum line and pit coach, and Ms. Lee is the new woodwind instructor. “For me this year is really different. It’s a fresh start. There is a lot of new staff,” said band director Mr. Stoney Black.

The drill for Arabesque has been written this year by Joe Musick (yes that really is his last name), the middle school band director at Eagleview. This is Mr. Musick’s first year of writing drill for Air Academy. The theme Arabesque is shown on the field in a new tarp and drum heads that have the swirly pattern of the symbol. In addition, the baritones are excited that they will get to play the trombone at the front of the field in the show.

Competition season started for the Kadets on September 27 at the Legacy Marching Festival. The band competed against 27 bands in the preliminary category (the category with all the bands before the top twelve bands go to finals). The band was proud to be scheduled to perform last in prelims because of their success last year at the Legacy Marching Festival.

In the Legacy Marching Festival, the band won High General Effect and High Visual (two of the three caption awards). They are proud to say that they won First place with a score of 79.4. Later at the Colorado West Marching Invitational, the Kadets won sweepstakes (the band that won the most awards) and won First place with a score of 81.85.

This year the band is going to five competitions: the Legacy Marching Festival, the Colorado West Marching Invitational, the Woodland Invitation, the CBA Southern Regionals, and 4A/5A State Semifinals and Finals. Hannah Ruge, a mellophone senior and section leader, said, “The only thing I’m worried about for competition season is keeping up our momentum.”

In all competitions, the band performs their marching show, which must be between 7 and 15 minutes long. They will be judged on music and visual. In each of these categories there are subcategories: music and visual: individual, ensemble, and general effect. Along with these categories there are also color guard and percussion commentary (drumline and pit). There will be judges up in the box (the top of the stands) and on the field following the marchers around.

State is on October 25^th, so the band still has time before that to grow and achieve at other competitions. Drum Major Nate Bennett says, “I want us to give a performance that is farther ahead of everything we’ve done musically or visually, and really make an impression on the audience.” Good luck Kadets!