The band program at CHS is known for playing at rallies, football games, and other events. However, marching band also participates in competitions every fall, and contributes many hours of time and practice to perfect their art. While CHS has had successful competition seasons in the past, this fall the season has gone especially well. Specifically, marching band reached championships for the first time in three years.
In past years, the band program has scored several first place performances but, when they later moved up divisions, they began to face tougher competition. These new competitors made success difficult for CHS, but as of late, the program has made a resurgence to superiority.
Nonetheless, the band program continued to work hard. One of the major goals of band this year was to make championships, which is equivalent to state for other sports programs and is no easy task. The first step in the process is making it to the Semi Final competition of 14 teams. To do so, a band had to enter at least two competitions out of twenty offered. Getting past semifinals is a little more difficult. Out of the many teams competing, the top six programs will progress to Championships. After, top teams at Championships advance to Grand Championships. Despite lofty expectations, Sophomore Luc Frost-Neto enjoys band for different reasons.
“One of the many goals I think everyone has is to make it to Championships, or finals,” Frost-Neto said. “However, one of the biggest things for us is still to have fun with it.”
This season, in the interest of qualifying for championships, the band program competed in four competitions, and scored several wins. In competitions, bands are scored out of 100 points in music effect, visual performance, visual effect, percussion, and auxiliary, as well as overall. This year band was able to score multiple high marks over 80, the highest band has scored in years. In and of itself, that was a major accomplishment, albeit secondary to Championships.
After the prerequisite competitions, band moved on to semifinals. The marching band finished fourth place, and qualified for championships. This qualification was the first in the last three years, which made it particularly special for all of the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, who were going to the competition for their first time.
Marching band was very excited about performing at Championships. If they placed within the top three they would advance to Grand Championships, an even more prestigious competition. The band did not let the novelty of the competition affect them, however, and managed scored sixth place. Yet, the final ranking does not tell the whole story. The band was only fractions of a point away from displacing the fourth and fifth place programs, and just a single point behind third place. Unfortunately, the program did not qualify for Grand Championships, but nonetheless, the season was a great success.
Band Director Riley-Gonzalez considers making championships a testament to the hard work the band has put in over the course of the season.
“Going to Championships was one of our big goals,” Riley-Gonzalez said. “The past two years, we didn’t make it, and this year we put in a lot of hard work in band camp and throughout the season.”
Frost-Neto was also proud of the time and effort band had put into the program. He did not want to see it go to waste.
“We did not want to see our season end at Semifinals,” Frost-Neto said. “We spent hours and hours working towards Championships.”
Even after the great season, CHS band still looks to improve. As of right now, band is taking a break from marching and just practicing concert band arrangements. At the end of the school year, the program with begin to prepare for next year’s season. In the future, they hope to reach Championships every year. Yet with the rate that they are improving, who knows? They might even make it to Grand Championships.

photos courtesy of Yvonne Garcia