DISTRICT NEWS & PR |
Collinsville band ends on a high note
November 02, 2009
|
Scott
Cousins
November 02, 2009 |
Once adrift, marching band recovers
What started out as a rough beginning for this year's Collinsville High School Marching Band has ended on a very high note.
On Saturday the band placed third in the red division at the Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival at the Edward Jones Dome, beating out eight other teams in their division.
"I knew we would do great, because I felt really good about our performance, but we beat my expectations," said freshman Daniel Harding, 14, a tenor saxophone player. "We did even better than great."
Considering the group's late start, such as strong ending was "truly remarkable," said Band Director Joseph Padawan.
Padawan was hired just before the start of the school year, a few months after Band Director Jeffrey Valperts and Assistant Band Director Rebekah Long abruptly quit. The band didn't begin practicing until school started, putting them more than a month behind.
"Week by week, we'd piece something together," he said. "By the end of (the football season), we were able to march and play the whole show. Of course, the weather got in the way, so our last home football game we stood on the track."
The band only participated in four competitions this year, starting at McKendree University.
"We had an incomplete visual show, as well as an incomplete musical show. So when it stopped it was very abrupt," Padawan said.
At the next competition the band was able to add another movement, and made the finals, even though it was still incomplete.
"But even with that, we still beat a group," he added.
The band then placed sixth in a Springfield, Mo., event, the first time they were able to put on the entire show.
"We came within one place of making finals. We were so stoked about it," Padawan said. "It was really, exciting. A lot of groups would be frustrated for not making finals. We were very excited because we were so close."
Going into the Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival, several of the band members said expected to do well.
"I felt pretty pepped up for it," Harding said.
Junior Travion Medina, an alto sax player, felt good about their performance and was even more excited when the results were announced.
"I felt that even though we did great, I wasn't expecting third place at all," he said. "For everybody else to have such a big lead on us, for us to place third that was phenomenal."
The students also praised Padawan.
"Mr. Padawan got here and he set the bar," Medina said. "We kind of exceeded it."
With the end of the marching band season, the symphonic band, wind ensemble, jazz band, winter drum line, and winter color guard groups are beginning practicing.
"It's really a phenomenal way to end the season," Padawan said. "I hope that carries into next year. We're dealing with some very talented students who will not be told no."
Other local schools performing in the Greater St. Louis Marching Band Festival were O'Fallon and Belleville East, which placed third and fifth, respectively, in the Gold Division; Edwardsville, which placed fourth in the Silver Division; and Granite City, which placed seventh in the Red Division.
More online
www.unitten.org/chs_band/
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