Bralyn Stallons and Caleb Kimbro

Writers

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Marlow High School Band participated in the OSSAA District Instrumental Music Contest at the Duncan High School Auditorium.

This contest is the first of the year that the MHS Band performed at due to the marching contest being canceled in Oct. of 2019, due to weather.

With the hope of success, sophomore trumpet player Miranda Martinez explained how band members have prepared for this contest.

“We have prepared for this contest by doing breathing and tuning exercises,” said Martinez. “We also went through our songs a few measures at a time to make it contest ready.”

Marlow band members performed music such as “Tempest Rising” and “Afterburn” in front of the judges and audience members.

MHS was awarded a 1, which is superior, in sight-reading and a 2, which is excellent, in their on-stage performance.

Junior Olivia Cantwell, the MHS drum major and flute player, expressed how it felt to score high in their first contest of the year.

“I was definitely so proud of everyone and how hard we all worked to get those ratings,” said Cantwell. “This year, being a 4A band for the first time ever was hard, and I think those ratings are amazing considering how difficult the music was.”

Striving to tone his skills, french horn player senior James Shirley elaborates on how the band will work to enhance their sound and why it is essential to perform in competitions.

“This experience will help expose the freshman band students to what they need to improve on while on their high school journey,” said Shirley. “It is also important to attend these events so we can show our capabilities and show what we are worth.”

Having been invited to perform after a successful audition, MHS band will be traveling to Disney World in Orlando, Florida on Mar. 12-17, where they will play several songs including the pieces conducted in the OSSAA competition.