Our award-winning and nationally recognized Band and Colorguard recently performed and competed at Citrus College for state championships on Nov. 17. At the very end of the season, they placed 4th in the league which, fortunately, allowed them the opportunity to perform last out of 12 bands. Their impactful show, entitled “A Swan’s Journey,” was a fan favorite. They won 2nd place at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) championships, after two tough years of landing in fourth place.

The competition day began with the 65th Annual Arcadia Festival of Bands. At 9:00 a.m., the entire band paraded on Baldwin Avenue, to hundreds of cheering residents. Relatives, alumni, teachers, and friends all came out to support the “Red Sea” on the street, as they played “March of the Women’s Marines.”

After they marched down the street and played the march three times, the band marched back to the high school where the students enjoyed a break until 2:30 p.m., when they had to get back to meet at AHS. Until 3:30 p.m., the band practiced some more and did a run-through of their field show for the second to last time. At around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., students boarded the bus and traveled to Citrus College for their final performance of the field show.

Since Arcadia luckily drew the last performance of the night, they practiced for about two hours. At first, the band was surrounded by a few other bands and the combined sounds were extremely loud. However, thirty minutes before their performance, the parking lot was silent. They were the last band left. After some more practice, the directors gave an inspirational speech to the band. Mr. Murphy said, “You’ve got to throw down. The entire crowd should have no choice but to get up and cheer for you.” With excitement and adrenaline running through their veins, they went on to perform their best show.

With a final score of 95.45, they were only 0.4 points behind Mt. Carmel High School, who scored a 95.85. However, AHS’ musical performance really impressed the judges, and Arcadia won the Music Performance category over Mt. Carmel High School by nearly 5 points. Everybody received a silver medal and boarded the buses to get back home at around midnight. Overall, the entire band was beyond elated at placing in the top three at championships. The hundreds of hours of dedicated work undoubtedly paid off.

Photo courtesy of ARCADIASBEST.COM