Thursday Night - The Pressure is On!

The first of fourteen Thursday night practices have been completed. The kids are still transitioning into their first week of school which also means adjusting to the schedule and agenda of a Thursday night rehearsal. It is very different compared to those eight and ten hour days of band camp. These nights will feel like a breeze to them now! After an hour of music rehearsal on the parade march, at 6 o’clock we took to the field. Keep in mind it had been about six days since they were on the field practicing their field drill spots as well as the skill of playing while marching. That doesn’t seem like a long time, but trust me, it is. So we took some time to review! We take it “set by set” which means we travel to one spot at a time to provide that refresher of their many drill sets.

It has been many years since there was a home football game the first week of school,  which meant there was already a performance for the RHSEU and a night of hosting game concessions! The kids were spoken to about what a Friday night game looks like for them, including not only their duties as a performer, but also the responsibilities of setting up and breaking down the concession stands with the Boosters. I think they were most excited to learn they all get a cup of instant noodles during the third quarter of the game.

For the front ensemble, having a complete performance meant having a complete set up of electronics. Most everyone in the front ensemble utilizes a microphone and their music is amplified through two speakers. They practiced setting up and breaking down all of their inputs, outputs, wires and cables.

For the moving musicians, they had to learn the proper way to get on and off of the field: when, how, and where to go. The end zone form is established from their initial, opening set of drill. This shape gets collapsed into mini blocks and lines that are set up in the end zone and ta-da! They’re basically in their opening set! They just have to march in almost a straight line.

I hope you were able to catch their very first performance. By the time I publish next, the kids will have learned so much more. Stay tuned!

--Article Contributor - Jackie Wren--

Jackie Wren graduated from RHS in 2015. This is her fourth year as a Drum Major Instructor with us. She is currently a senior at UC Davis graduating in June with a BS in Cell Biology. She sits on the executive board for her professional pre-health sorority and is in pursuit of a career as a Physician Assistant. Her other loves besides guiding RHSEU students to success are attending country music concerts and traveling to new states, discovering unique landmarks while rocking out to Lady Antebellum - her favorite band.