The Bearden High School marching band is working hard to create another captivating halftime performance for this year’s marching band season.
Their new performance “A Picture’s Worth” captures the essence of memorable and formative events that people experience throughout life.
The band hopes to bring the theme and leave an impression on their audience.
“I think we bring a lot of emotion to the music already, and I’m excited to see us grow,” assistant drum major Calvin Blackmon said.
McKenna Webb, assistant drum major alongside Blackmon, enjoyed last year’s visuals, but she’s also looking forward to the new challenges this year will bring.
“We had a good show last year, but [director] Mr. [Jamie] Wilson has done a really good job at writing the drill this year,” Webb said.
Amidst having pride for all of the hard work put in at band camp this year, head drum major Jenna Easley believes she will still face challenges throughout the season.
“It’s kind of a lot,” Easley said. “Dealing with knowing the new show, having to know it better than everyone in the band, and I’m one person and there are like 130 people.”
Easley also takes the tradition of Bearden’s band seriously.
“You are always a drum major,” she said. “You never stop having that responsibility. You never stop being that person that people look up to, and you always have to do the right thing.”
When this year’s show theme was announced last March, Bearden band members could only anticipate what the new performance would bring. At band camp, not only the sounds and visuals of the show were revealed, but time was taken to collaborate in producing a cohesive performance.
Band camp is no easy task. It tests endurance, discipline, and motivation.
This year’s band camp was much more demanding, particularly for incoming freshmen new to marching band style training. Unlike last year, where members began working on drill the second week of camp, this year, technical drill work began upon arrival. The toughness of these practices was a tough adjustment for freshmen, but they stood up to the challenge, which helped with overall productivity and team bonding.
“We started including freshmen pretty early in the marching Mondays,” Webb said. “I think that we are already pretty meshed together.”
The band strives to continue their work ethic throughout the year with hopes of producing polished halftime and stage performances in mind.
“I think we have a really good group both musically and visually, and I think they have a really good opportunity to work together and create a truly special show,” Blackmon said.
Students can see the West Knoxville debut of the new show on Sept. 5 when the football team opens its home schedule against Maryville.