“I’m going to be honest, I think that was a bad show.”

Visual technician Willie Veenstra broke the news to the band as they left the field and gathered in a messy circle to discuss the performance. It wasn’t their greatest show and it definitely wouldn’t be the best one of the days. 

Much to everyone’s excitement, the long hours of practice during both the summer and the school year boosted them to victory multiple times over the 2019 band season. They took home first in Battle of the Berry and a 3rd overall at the Katy Marching Festival, making it their first time to make it to the finals round. 

Then at the Cypress Showcase they did it again, taking first place and making it to their second round of finals ever. It didn’t end there though. At the Remo contest on November 2, their last competition of the season, they got second place, just under Seven Lakes High School.

It was their second first place at Battle of the Berry, coming as just as much of a surprise as last year. The performance hadn’t been their best, but they still came home as champions. 

“It’s very exciting. We put in lots and lots of time and lots and lots of effort, and literally blood, sweat and tears into this activity. So getting rewarded with being a champion is really kind of validating to all the effort that we put into this,” Band Director, Brenton Marquart said. 

They got the good news just after the Katy Marching Festival, which they had performed that same day. It was an emotional moment for the band as they dissolved into cheers and for some, even tears.

“We were all like ‘congratulations’ to everyone,” Sophomore Tai’lynn Hood said, “I started crying because it was just so thrilling.” 

 However, there’s something more important than just winning the competition. It’s the performance. 

“For us, it’s not really about whether we expect to win a competition or not,” Junior, drum major Caleb Pencarina said. “That’s just a by-product.”

For Senior Katelyn England, the competition and the performance is something she enjoys, even if they don’t win.

 “I just enjoy the competitions. I know I could be at home in my bed, but at the same time, I wouldn’t,” England said, “I would rather be here with friends and just performing in front of the lights in the stadium.”

After every performance the band gatherers off the field to discuss it. They use a number system to rank how they think they played and how they think the band played over all. 

“Every performer that performed and every person that was out there knows every single thing that they did wrong and every single thing that they did right,” Pencarina said, “so the group’s rating of the performance is going to be better than any judges rating.”

The Katy Marching Festival was also a big step for band even if it was 3rd place. It was their first time getting to play in a finals round at a competition and that was an achievement all on its own.

“The end goal is to always be able to play with the best bands at the end of the night and play under the lights and have everybody in the stands,” Mr. Marquart said, “It was really exciting to be a part of that first group that made finals.”

 It was the second competition of the day and the band was already excited from hearing the news about their first place at Battle of the Berry. The second round of good news came and it was a fresh wave of joy all over again. 

“When we made finals at Katy, that was really special. We kinda felt like we were floating on air  since we were a young band competing with older ones,” Sophmore Justin Martinez, “We kinda made our statement there.”

It didn’t end there though, the band was on a roll. On October 26 they took home yet another first And again on November 2 at the Remo competition they took home second place, wrapping up the season on a high note. 

With three years of being active, Bridgeland Band already has some impressive achievements for such a new band under their belt. With their recent wins along with last years’ they’ve come far, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still growing. 

“It’s our first year with seniors and that’s really where our show, Be Someone, comes in,” Assistant band director, Bailey Moore said. “We’re still discovering who we are, what our identity is and who we want to be going forward.”