RallyNorth.net

Like None Other

Wednesday, October, 03 By Rebecca Correa
Staff writer

This year's marching band show is like none other in recent history.

When the show begins, most of the 193 band members are silent, and only the soft sound of flutes and clarinets are heard.

Don't let the title fool you though - "The Ballad Sacra" picks up in intensity and the finale moves toward something fast and dynamic, according to band director Marty Claussen. "Most bands go right in your face than slow things down, and we usually do that too" he said. "We changed things up this year, because we have these brand new uniforms on and want to show them off, we just wanted to highlight things are different this year."

Claussen said the idea to use the unique piece, instead of a traditional march, was generated by his concert band students last year, after they played their first piece by David Holsinger.

"We had been working on (that Holsinger piece) for about a week," he said. "We played through it and stopped and all kind of said, 'it was beautiful, wouldn't that be neat outside.'"

That decision led to the 2007 marching show, which is performed to Holsinger's "The Balled Sacra."

This year's show is being led by three drum majors, including senior saxophonist Steve Bench, and junior saxophonists Chris Correia and Amy Landry.

The group first practiced their piece in May and began to put the music to marching moves during summer sessions. Claussen said the band will perform this routine until the competitive season wraps up on Nov.4 and until football season comes to a close. After that the group will march in holiday parades to more festive tunes.

But even the then the students hope marching season won't come to an end. Last year the group earned the honors of playing at the Citrus Bowl, and they're hoping to head back to a different national parade this January. Claussen said the group has applied to play at several different locations, but they have not heard back yet.