The Canyon High School marching band had an area competition on October 28th. The band placed third in the competition. The band worked very hard all season for this competition, and to say they did well is an understatement. Considering they had to march in Texas’s second hottest summer in its history with the average temperature being 85.5 degrees, it is a great accomplishment for the band as a whole.

With preparations starting in August, they first prepared by doing summer band which is the fundamentals of marching and learning the music and applying it. This gets them ready for larger competitions such as the Area one. One of the major struggles that was a factor in the season was near unbearable heat. Mr. Vaden said it was a very hot summer, and keeping the kids motivated, hydrated, and healthy was always the major challenge. He also happily added that the recent cold weather we have experienced was a needed change for the band

With all of that being said, I talked with Mr Vaden, the head band director at the area competition, and gathered great information from him about the competition. He stated that the band did very well at area competitions and mentioned that, “Area is always a really long day, and to have the kids go through a whole 14 hours of marching band and having the energy to do that is really good for them.”

Mr. Vaden added that they had two outstanding performances at the competition and that, with this being the last competition of the season, it was a great way to finish strong. On top of all of that, he commended the band by saying, “We were definitely playing and marching the best we’ve done all year.”

To conclude, the Canyon High School band had a great area competition. With there being so many factors that contributed to the season, it is such an accomplishment that they made it as far as they did. We here at Cougar Nation hope to repeat or even accomplish more next marching season.