The Montoursville High School Marching Band made a stunning appearance at Muncy Area High School during the Lycoming County Band Directors Association, or LCBDA, Exhibition on Sept. 21.
“To me, the purpose of the Marching Exhibition (and the Mass Band performance, where we combine all eight schools for a performance on the field) is two-fold,” said MAHS Band Director, Mr. Chris Morgan. “The first note is that it is an event dedicated to marching band without being attached to your typical Friday Night Lights. While we love performing on Football Fridays, there is an amazing feeling having an entire stadium present just to hear the bands play. Seeing each other’s shows and joining for the combined number on the field really helps solidify the idea that the band (and music in general) is one gigantic family. There’s no competition between our schools and programs, just reveling in each other’s successes and enjoying each other’s efforts on the field!”
Morgan has been the high school band director for three years now, but he has been involved with the marching band every year since he student taught back in 2017.
Students from all over Lycoming County gathered together for the exhibition to share their common passion for performing music with one another. The schools represented were Montoursville, Muncy, East Lycoming, Montgomery, Loyalsock, South Williamsport, Williamsport, and Jersey Shore.
When asked about what Mass Band was in our student’s own words, responses varied.
“Mass band is where you can make new friends and learn two new songs and play them with other districts around us,” said sophomore Ethan Voyten.
Senior Bella Grube also talked about the event.
“Mass band is a night devoted to marching band; where all the bands in Lycoming county come together to preform our shows, support each other, and unify into one big “Mass Band” for 2 final songs,” said Grube.
Morgan explained that Montoursville is a part of LCBDA, and this gives his students the privilege to take part in not just Mass Band, but also Junior and Senior County Honors Band Festivals throughout the year.
Morgan referred back to the band exhibition and stated, “It is one of the best nights of our marching season and an event that the band and our community greatly look forward to each year.”
Several students, such as sophomore Paige Rosenbaum, and Junior Evelyn Weng mentioned that their favorite part of the night was watching all the other bands perform, and being able to cheer them on.
“My favorite part of Mass Band is watching everyone support and cheer for each other,” Grube said. “During Friday night football, most people are there for the football and not to watch the band. Mass Band is a unique experience where everyone is there to cheer for us and support us, and I love seeing the support of all the bands and spectators.”
There are so many important and special parts to this evening, and one of them is getting to meet new people.
Rosenbaum said that she got to see a friend that she had not seen in a while, Voyten said he met a lot of new people, but one that was very particular was a trumpet player who mentioned that he should play his instrument in college.
Voyten plays the Sousaphone, Weng plays the Clarinet, Rosenbaum is involved in Percussion, and Grube is an active member and a section leader of the Color Guard.
Grube said, “Mass Baand is a great opportunity to talk to other color guards and make new friends!”
When Grube was asked what it is like to be a member of the Color Guard she responded by saying, “Being in the color guard is so much fun. We’re all pretty close, since there’s only 11 of us and our practices are always hilarious. Kim is so supportive and kind, and getting to twirl flags, rifles, and rings is a blast. A lot of people think color guard is way easier than playing an instrument because all we have to do is wave a flag around. In actuality, our flagpoles are six feet long, and pretty heavy. It takes a lot of practice to be able to march and spin a flag at the same time, as well as condition/strengthen the muscles in our wrists. Our mistakes are a lot more noticeable than the band, and a lot of the time we’re sprinting on and off the field for equipment changes in between songs, which is exhausting. I have a ton of respect for the people in band, and their ability to march and play, but being in the color guard is definitely not as easy as some people think.”
The band’s show this year is called “I’m still Banding”, and it features four songs written by Elton John. Within the band, the most enjoyed song of the night was “I’m Still Standing”, by Elton John.
Rosenbaum said this was her favorite song because “The song is fun and the drill is easy and cool” while Voyten said, “I play the sousaphone and I don’t play a lot of quarter notes so it’s fun.”
Grube mentioned that her favorite show song was “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” by Elton John. “Our flag work is high energy, and I can’t help but smile the whole time.”
“My favorite part of Mass Band is seeing how much the applause and admiration from the audience can really change a band’s show. It’s not every day that a stadium is roaring with cheers and applause just for the band, and seeing the impact that it has on the performance on the field (and especially our show) is a truly infectious feeling of joy and pride!” said Morgan.
“My favorite part of the night is being able to perform for the other bands,” said Weng.
Rosenbaum also commented and said that her favorite part of the evening was also watching the different HS band shows, while Voyten said that his was “Just to be there with my friends and have a fun night.”
“My favorite part of the night was getting to watch my friends perform their shows,” said Grube.
This is Gurbe’s last year of being a part of the MAHS Marching Band and she said she has made many memories along her journey to her Senior year.
“My favorite memory of being in the guard is the overwhelming support and kindness everyone showed me,” said Grube. “When I first joined as a shy, homeschooled sophomore, I was worried no one would like me or want to be my friend, but fast forward three years and I’m now section leader with my best friend Liv, and there is not one person in the guard who I wouldn’t consider my friend.”
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