One of the largest and most acclaimed high school bands in the state, AHS’ band participates in parade and field competitions in SoCal and consistently places in the top three. Directed by Mr. Kevin Sherrill and Mr. Seth Murphy, Marching Band has a far-reaching legacy that reflect itself in all its activities—including the beautiful field show!

During the tedious first semester marching season, the band learned four field show pieces, a complicated drill on the football field, and one parade march for the street. This simply means competitions, rehearsals, and performances that are all coupled with amazingly bold music to emphasize the choreography!

“A Swan’s Journey” replicates the intensity, determination, perseverance, delicacy, and intimacy all in an eight-minute show—that’s including the opener, ballad, and closer! Alongside colorguard, the field show highlighted the voyage of a swan, from the start of its growth to its end.  It included colors such as purple, white, gold, blue, and orange. The musical component of the show illustrated multiple emotions and created a memory to remember from the hidden emotional undertones.

French horn player sophomore Matthew Ma stated, “My favorite part is [forming the] letter ‘H’ in part one because it’s like we build up to the climax. At that point, we release and it gives me the chills.” The opener consisted of upbeat chords played by Front Line and included long, dramatic, and crescendoed notes that seemed to grow increasingly more captivating. With the creation of multiple shapes including circles, hearts, and more, the field show was described as “empowering, beautiful, and enchanting.”

While many of those who watched the field show enjoy the fast paced music, the second half is much more of a slow ballad—the painful and heart-wrenching journey a swan takes. Flute soloist junior Anisha Karunananthan said, “The part I like best about the field show is part one because it has the most interesting music and body.” With multiple instruments harmonizing and beginning at contrasting times, the field show is always “inspirational, impactful, and powerful.”

Based off the original piece “The Swan” from Carnival of The Animals, a touch of elegance and beauty was added, but not enough to overpower the excitement and wonder. As Band broke up into pods and the colorguard threw their rifles and flags around, the slow movement of the body and music helped envelop the audience in a warm hug, slowly embracing their surroundings. Trumpet player sophomore Justin Wu described the whole show, especially part three, as “whimsical, adventurous, and upbeat.” The last part of the show is one that shocked the audience, with conveyor-belt-like movements and robotic and linear shapes. “My favorite part is the closure because it features long chords and fast drill moves.”

In the 2018 Bands of America (BOA) Northern California Finals, Arcadia placed with an overall score of 81.75, placing them in second out of the eleven bands. As for the preliminary rounds, winning the “Best General Effect” award and placing third was another accomplishment checked off for the beginning of the season.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Carlos Estrada