Pierce Takes Home Division 1 Superior At State Marching Band
By Brody Knox
The Pierce High Bluejay marching band placed superior in Division 1 at the state marching band. The competition was held in Kearney, Saturday, October 25.
“For the NSBA State Marching Festival, you perform for a rating: Division 1 Superior, Division 2 Excellent, Division 3 Good, and Division 4 Fair. Initially, due to a miscommunication, they announced us as getting a considerably lower rating than we actually got. After a review of our scoresheet, we discovered that we actually got a Division 1 Superior rating, and they corrected the mistake,” band director Michael Sindt said. “Initially, the reaction was that of shock from everyone in the audience, because it was obvious that we performed at a much higher level. Even students and adults from other schools agreed that it was incorrect and that it should be reviewed. We found out it was simply a communication error, and they publicly presented the correct trophy and rating to us. Our students and community members in attendance were overjoyed with the final result once it was presented to us correctly.”
This year, 21 schools participated in the State Marching band competition held in Kearney. The bands are judged on music performance, visual performance, and general effect. This year, the Bluejays chose “Dancing Queen,” “I Dreamed A Dream,” and “Defying Gravity.”
“The Superior Rating that we received shows that the Pride of the Bluejay band continues to hold a high standard for itself, as this is a rating that they have received at this event for several consecutive years. Our theme for this year was to have grit, and the students continually pushed for improvement up to the end,” says Sindt, “whereas there were a few mistakes made during the performance, the overall consensus was that it was our best performance for the year. We can always work on keeping our band members in step, provide even more dynamic contrast for a higher musical effect, and get every student to reach their potential musically.”
According to drumline member, sophomore Quintin Flesner, lines were forming to watch the Pierce Bluejays perform.
“As we marched, the lines were coming together; you could see the lines and everything,” Flesner states.
Initially, it proved that the Bluejays were putting on a true show for the community.
“We had a really big scare where we thought we got a division three good, but it was all sorted out, which was kinda funny on our end,” senior and Drum Major Mya Johnson states. “The other seniors and I are all really proud of how our band performed, I know Mr. Sindt is as well. Our freshmen this year were exceptional. We were very proud of our underclassmen, and I can’t wait to see what the future of the Pierce marching band looks like.”
