Area high school marching bands took to the field at the Socorro Independent School District’s Student Activities Complex (SAC), where they entertained fans with spirited, high-energy performances at the 30th annual SISD March Fest competition on Oct. 7 and the UIL Region 22 Marching Band Contest on Oct. 14.
At March Fest, 27 Bands in Class A, B and C demonstrated their musical talent for judges from Texas and Oklahoma. They were rated based on a national competition standard with a preliminary finals format.
“Having a marching contest is very important to showcase the students and make it about them,” said SISD Fine Arts Director Armando Martinez. “They perform every Friday night, but the beauty about a marching contest is that it’s dedicated to them. They put so many hours that it’s important for them to have as many opportunities as possible to perform where the focus is just on them.”
Americas High School Blazer Band struck a chord with their casino-heist-themed performance titled “All In!”
“One of our mottos in the band is that ‘if it was easy, everyone would do it,’ so I think that it really matters that we're putting in the hard work, and we're all working as a family here,” said drum major Angel Ortega. “When we hear the applause, when we hear everybody standing up in the crowd, it makes our performance that much more thrilling.”
March Fest winners included Pebble Hills High School, which took second place, and outstanding music and percussion awards. Montwood High School won the Outstanding Drum Major Award.
For many band members, the competition was a warmup for the UIL Region 22 Marching Band Contest the following week.
Junior Jasmine Favela, a Socorro High School color guard member, said March Fest was an opportunity for the band to polish their performance for the upcoming UIL competition and cheer on the other amazing high school bands. The Bulldog band, which included a small stuffed teddy bear in honor of Bowie High School drum major Daniel Esparza, had been working on its "Emerge!!!" performance since June.
"It helps us prepare by getting a feel of what the judges want, and we can improve next week, and so we can advance to area," Favela said. "I think March Fest is great because I like to see what the other bands can do, and it's just amazing what they can do because they put (in) as many hours as we do. And it's amazing how the band community and guard are all together."
At the UIL contest, all six SISD high school marching bands earned Division I ratings and qualified for the UIL Area Marching Band Contest at the SAC on Oct. 21.
Thirty high school marching bands competed at the UIL region contest. Bruce Beech, executive secretary for UIL activities, said the contest allowed students to showcase their talent while learning valuable life skills.
“We’re trying to teach (students) life skills through music,” Beech said. “The teamwork aspect of the band makes them stronger, gives them discipline skills, gives them teamwork skills, gives them cooperating skills.”
Eastlake High School drum major Adria Dominguez was proud of her band’s UIL performance.
“I thought it was amazing,” Dominguez said. “I thought it was one of the best performances that we’ve had. You could see a lot of the work that they’ve pulled through, and then, as individuals, you could tell how much they've progressed."