Last weekend, Northwood’s Marching Band went to Ledford High School’s Festival of Bands, competing with about 15 bands to earn third place overall, with Northwood’s drum majors earning first place. The band earned a Superior score, the highest rating in terms of performance. Competing in the largest class, Class 4A, the band performed its 2017 Field Show, “Oh The Places You’ll Go!” based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same title.
“Saturday’s show saw the most audience engagement Northwood has had in the past four years, earning a rousing standing ovation at the end of the performance,” said Brett Cox, the Marching Band teacher, in an email.
The show earned a Superior score, which means the band scored 80 percent or above out of 100. This classifies the performance as ‘very proficient.’
“It’s the pinnacle of the grading scale and is a high respect and a high honor,” assistant drum major Clayton Hinson said.
The Marching Band considers this a good start to the season.
“It shows how our efforts paid off and sets us on a course for an All-Superior season,” junior Sam Shi said.
Achieving an All-Superior season, which means earning a Superior in every competition, is a goal the band hopes to reach this year.
“In my tenure, we’ve yet to accomplish this—having come up short at the first competition each year,” Cox said. ”So, earning that rating at this year’s first show was a huge step toward our goal.”
They would consider an All-Superior season a high achievement.
“It’s something we haven’t done in the past four years, ever since 2013, so it’d really mean a lot to get that,” Hinson said.
Marching Band is determined to excel.
“This year’s group has been the most motivated group I’ve had in my tenure,” Cox said. “We had a stretch of a couple of weeks where we almost lost that motivation, but they put their head down and trucked through it.”
Hinson agreed.
“This is one of our best years I’ve been here, and a lot of instructors are talking about how it’s one of the best years the school has had,” Hinson said.
– By Garrison Parrish
