Underneath the blistering September heat, the news hit baritone player Makoa Brown ‘25 like a bag of bricks. 14th place. Monarch had never scored this low at a marching band competition. They didn’t qualify for the next stage of the competition.

“It was clear that the practices before had not been productive enough,” Brown said.

So who was to blame?

“It was all of our faults,” he said. “We knew we could do better.”

Brown has been a part of both marching band and indoor percussion for two years. Placing 14th motivated Brown and the band to work harder and push themselves through the upcoming colder weather and earlier sundowns, a far cry from the warm summer nights the band was used to.

“After that competition, we started to focus more on improving our rehearsals and limiting the distractions,” Brown said.

After weeks of focused practice and climbing up the ranks in later competitions, the state championship at Air Force Academy on the weekend of Oc. 29 was where the band wanted to show their how much work they’ve put into improving the show.

“We ended up getting 4th in State against 60 other bands,” Brown said. “Walking off the field, we were much more elated. We knew we tried our hardest, and we got to reap the rewards of our product.”

The hard work that’s been put towards the shows has motivated the band to work as an effective team.

“There’s nothing better than walking off the performance space and knowing you did your best,“ said Brown. “The joy and excitement you feel afterwards is worth all the hours and work put in.”

Upcoming Events

April 4

Jazz Band Concert

April 11

Band Concert