The Eaton Marching Band left the small town and headed south toward Pueblo, Colorado. The band has been practicing all summer, along with continuing while the school year started. After months of practicing, the band was primed to show their best at the state competition, on Oct. 27t. And their best was definitely needed, for only the top 10 ranking 2A bands in Colorado get the opportunity to go to state.
The band always seemed state-bound, even from the beginning of the season. Band Director Benjamin Corneliusen said, “I think our band really took their musical performance up a notch this year. We stepped up our individual playing, which in turn made our collective ensemble playing significantly better.” The students in the Eaton Marching Band this year focused more on their own personal skills, getting better personally to sound better collectively. It definitely shows too; Hayden Annand (26), a marcher in the band, said, “This year’s marching band competition was very good. We all performed very well and had fun while doing it.”
Eaton’s performance was excellent. Corneliusen said, “The EHS Marching Band truly saved their best performance of the season for last, on the big State Championships field at CSU-Pueblo. It was a fantastic show that brought a lot of energy, emotion, and passion to the show that they have been working on all season. It was a really special performance.” The team placed 7th out of the ten teams competing. Despite not moving on to the finals, it was still a performance they could be proud of, and the trip was a blast for the students. Annand said, “My experience at state this year was very fun. We all had so much going and performing and having fun together. Staying in the hotel was also very fun and getting to spend time together was so fun.” Miley Wakkinen (28), a freshman who was given the opportunity to march last year as a eight grader, said, “I enjoyed working with the other kids who love music just as much as me and I got to meet and become friends with so many people I wouldn’t have talked to if it hadn’t been for marching band.” Marching Band is an amazing opportunity to meet and connect with others who share interests. State was a blast for the band, and the team had fun bonding and growing closer to one another at the end of the season.
Marching Band is much different than other sports. The team dynamics are so important and so crucial for the overall performance of the team. The unity of the band can make or break a performance. Wakkinen said, “This year’s team was amazing. The marching band is always together, and I think that adds a lot to bonding and making us a stronger team. I think that we could always work on working harder but we have always and will always be a family.
Many different factors play into qualifying, but this year’s competition was heavily affected by the performance of other bands. The Eaton Marching Band truly did have one of their best performances, but it seems other teams had slightly better performances. Corneliusen said, “This year, some other bands really stepped up to the plate and made huge improvements to their performances and scores from past years.” The Eaton Marching Band did amazing, and although they didn’t make it to finals, the fact stands that this was one of the best performances put on by them.
The band is always working on refining and improving their skills, and they have already started preparations for next year. “We are just beginning the planning phases for next year’s show. We’re excited for another great season of performances and competition,” said Corneliusen. It will be exciting to see how the band improves for next year.
