Band Shatters Record at BOA: San Antonio

Band+performs+their+show+at+the+Eastview+football+game

Siandhara Bonnet

Band performs their show at the Eastview football game

by Siandhara Bonnet, Editor-in-Chief

Congratulations to the Band for taking third place in finals at Bands of America: San Antonio out of 64 other bands from five states.

In preliminaries, the band performed Friday evening, returned home, and drove back to the Alamodome to take first place, winning the 3A division and all captions (music, visual, and general effect), followed by Vandegrift and Cedar Park, respectively.

“It was a very humbling experience,” junior drum major Tristen Banuelos said. “[I] just felt proud, not only for the hard work we’ve done for the past three months, but proud to be in a district which performs at the highest of levels and is truly amazing.”

Once in finals, the band knew that the pressure was on and, in their opinion, gave their best performance of Color Study.

“We just got focused and relaxed, listened to Beyonce’s Love On Top,” Banuelos said, “and were ready to have the best show we’ve ever had regardless of what was to come that evening .”

The band had to wait approximately three and a half hours for results.

“The anticipation was so intense because our finals performance was so humbling and inspiring,” Banuelos said, “but once the placements were announced it went by way too quickly.”

The results were in and the names were called. In third place, with a score of 91.80 and winning the music caption, the Leander High School Marching Band. They also tied for first palce in the Outstanding Music caption.

…But it’s not about the score; I’m proud that we as a people said no more to almost, we all strived to be the very best and I’m proud of our work ethic, our grit.

— Senior Harmonie Sturrup

“It was undoubtedly the most I’ve ever been proud,” senior Harmonie Sturrup, trombone section leader and president of band, said. “Knowing that something I took part of, scored the highest, and that our band went from the ‘almost band’ to third place in finals. But it’s not about the score; I’m proud that we as a people said no more to almost, we all strived to be the very best and I’m proud of our work ethic, our grit.”

They will give a farewell performance during halftime at the football game against Dripping Springs November 7.

“It will be pretty sad, actually, knowing that that’s really the last time I’ll ever put on that uniform and do something I love with the people I love,” Sturrup said. “But it will also be fantastic, performing an award winning show to people that couldn’t make it to BOA.”

Now that marching season is pretty much over, the band will prepare for UIL and concert season. Their next performance will be the annual Winter Show in December.