Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the hats, the feathery toppers, and the fancy uniforms? Behind the straight faces and intricate steps are two long weeks at the end of summer of practice for The Stroudsburg High School Marching Band.
On Monday, August 11, lengthy practices, the memorization of songs, and moves on the field commenced. The first week consisted of indoor practices for the band from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Their time was spent preparing the songs for the following week when they put the moves with the music.
It was also the start of Anabelle Cervone’s, ’27, career as one of the drum majors for the next two seasons. She says, “Even though I’ve been in the marching band for the past three years, this year feels like my first year in marching band.”
The next week, the band spent 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the high school memorizing the moves for the show that they call drill.
Among these days is their notorious 12-hour day, where they spend both lunch and dinner at the high school. For the first few hours of the day, the band spent their time running drill basics with the new members to teach the proper marching technique.
After running through the basics, the band went on to practice their drill for the opening song titled “Running Up That Hill,” by Kate Bush. After learning the drill, the band had its media day, which took up three hours of the evening.
To conclude the 12-hour day, the band had an hour for dinner, which gave the new members time to band together with the veterans.
On Friday, August 22nd, the team had their first game of the season, where the band made their first appearance and played through the first three songs of the show. To conclude the 25-26 band camp, the team brought home a win against Wallenpaupack 28-7.