The marching band is preparing to travel to San Antonio for their end of season competition on  Nov. 3; the contest will take place on Nov. 4 at the Alamodome. As marching season comes to a close, band students are beginning to reflect on this year’s marching program and the competition results from this year.

This was junior saxophonist Jinhee Shin’s third year as part of the marching program. Shin said this season has been strong, and that she has learned a lot from marching this year.

“We had a really successful first competition in Bands of America (BOA) regionals, which set us up well for the rest of the season,” Shin said. “We learned what a good performance feels like from that competition. So we want to recreate that feeling in every run of the show we do, whether it’s at a rehearsal, football game or a competition. We’ve had ups and downs throughout our season, but we’ve been really pushing through these last couple of weeks to set ourselves up well for San Antonio.”

Shin said she is proud of how the band has done this marching season, and that she is proud of how they have done going against tough competitors within the same district.

“LISD has a very strong music program,” Shin said. “Hebron, Marcus, and Flower Mound are all very competitive, so it’s cool to see so many good band marching bands in our own district. We don’t know who is going to end up with the first place trophy, but we have a strong feeling that if we stay focused throughout the final week of rehearsals and give our best performance, the results will take care of themselves.”

Marching season comes along with at least six hours of rehearsal a week, not including practice at home and competitions on Saturdays. Kerch said that while there is a big time commitment involved, he really enjoys marching and rehearsing with his friends everyday.

“While it seems like a lot of work, the finished product, the teamwork, the environment and the accomplishments make it easily worth it,” Kerch said. “I feel lucky because I’m given the opportunity to pursue my hobby to to the fullest extent.”

Kerch said that he enjoyed his first season of marching band, but that he is also looking forward to concert season this Spring. Concert season begins after the final competition in San Antonio, and will last throughout the rest of the school year.

“Concert season is coming up soon, which is going to be a gear shift from marching season,” Kerch said. “In addition, there will be more time in class and outside of class to focus on region music, solos, and personal and sectional improvements. While I’m sure I will miss marching season, I am also looking forward to learning solos and playing a piece with friends.”

Shin said she loves spending time with her friends and playing her instrument every day, despite the long hours of rehearsal and work it has taken to be a part of the band.

“As tiring as marching season is, I always miss it the second that it’s over,” Shin said. “I’m really going to miss performing with all the seniors this year because they have had such a positive impact on me and have done so much for the program. Concert season is a lot more relaxed in terms of the rehearsal schedule, but marching season is so much fun, and I always find myself looking forward to next year’s as soon as it’s over.”