The fighting Reds marching band qualified for the state competition once again, and they played their hearts out. On Monday, Oct. 30, the Reds traveled to Colorado State University in Pueblo for the state competition.
They had been working relentlessly all season to perfect their craft and win another state championship. Benjamin Corneliusen, the band director, has been working with Eaton high school students for just two seasons but has helped the band win a silver medal last year at the 2022 Colorado Bandmasters Association State Championships.
This year they rolled into state with a lot of energy, after achieving their highest score ever at a competition a couple of weeks prior. Senior and drum major John Davis said, “[we struggled with] staying focused the entire season. In the beginning, it was kind of rough, but towards the end we started to really get it together, and it showed.”
As a drum major, Davis’ job is to lead the band through hard times as well as easy and be a role model for younger band members. Drum majors also help to conduct and lead the show on the field.
The Reds competed against The Classical Academy, Elizabeth, Delta, Berthoud, Englewood, Montezuma Cortez, and Arvada at their state competition, but in reality the marching band is about competing against oneself and being better than the previous year’s band.
Corneliusen said, “We battled it out score-wise with Berthoud & Delta a lot this season, which was exciting for their two programs to be growing and putting up a fight with some great music and visual design on their show this year. We ended up pulling out in front of them during State, which was an awesome feeling. More than that, though, I see our State performance as the best one we’ve given this year. Scores and trophies aside, we gave it all when it was needed most.”
After playing and marching their routine on the CSU Pueblo football field, the Reds received a very respectable score of 67.95. Unfortunately, they were outperformed by The Classical Academy, who scored 75.65, and Elizabeth, who scored 71.45. The Reds were right on the heels of the state champion and runner-up bands, but they still took home the third-place title this season.
Reflecting on the season and looking into the future, Corneliusen said, “We’re always looking to improve, and I’m already working on next year’s show. As an educator, I’m hoping to make a few changes pedagogically and within our program structure to make rehearsals more efficient and meaningful, especially in the early season, like I mentioned before. As a team, we have to start afresh, and get focused early on, to make some serious leaps and bounds with our musical and visual achievements later in the season.”
Here’s to the Fighting Reds marching band’s great season and hoping that the next one is even better than the last.
