Evolution Of Marching Band

Taking the field the Evolution

“East Peoria Marching Raiders, you may take the field in competition.” During the four years of high school, I was able to get involved with the East Peoria High School Band program. The marching band has evolved since I joined in 2011 and it has been improving each year.

My freshman year we used to march trombones, I was probably the worst one on the field when it came to the marching aspect. There was a lot of foundation work being planted as I learned the terms, how to read drill, remembering counts, memorizing music, managing homework on long Tuesday night rehearsals and most importantly how to enjoy oneself in the midst of a struggle. This was just the first year! I met many new friends who built me up and made me a leader for the years to come.

Almost all the competitive marching bands have done away to trombone for safety reasons, intonation, and drill work. I had to adapt and learn how to play the new instrument. Since I was able to pick the horn up and figure it out quickly, I soon became able to teach the other three players in my section how the valves corresponded with what we knew with slide positions. The summer was merely putting two and two together. As the season went on we were able to compete and have a successful year, but what made that year special was we were able to watch Bands of America and then make a goal to perform there. Bands of America is where bands around the US will go to compete which is a three day event consisting of seventy-five