The Lobo marching band competed at Battle of the Berry on Saturday, October 19.
“Battle at the Berry is one of the first marching competitions we go to before Area and UIL,” senior Lauren Hall said. “Bands from all over the area, such as Katy and Waller, come to the Berry Center and get sorted into different classes according to band size.”
Thanks to Langham’s categorization into Class 2, the band gets more opportunities to perform well at Battle of the Berry because it is not competing against bigger bands.
“We’ve gone to Battle at the Berry every year and we usually score every year because we’re a smaller band and get a lot of opportunities to do well and win trophies,” Hall said.
The band has been working on their show since July and further prepared for this competition with a three hour stadium rehearsal at the Berry Center on the student holiday.
“When we prepare for regular competitions, like football games, we’re on the marching field, so it was a lot more intense, I would say, for Battle at the Berry,” Hall said.
Performing against bands in different districts provides valuable experiences for the band.
“It’s good being in constant competition with the people that we’re gonna see at Area, because we’ll know generally where we will be and how much work we need to do to surpass other bands,” senior Pierce Manning said.
Drum majors play an especially important part in the marching band.
“[My role] is to just get everyone calm and prepared,” senior Cayden Hutcheson said. “Whenever we actually get on the field and perform, I’m the one that’s keeping time so everybody’s looking at me for the time.”
Despite experiencing a tear during their performance, an instance when music is happening at different places at different times on the field, the band was able to come back together quickly without having to stop playing or slow down.
“Usually when you tear, you don’t do very well and so even though we did tear, we were able to place, so I’m really proud of the band for that,” Hall said.
Langham placed 2nd at Battle of the Berry and 7th place overall. Next up is UIL on the 26th, where the band hopes to play skillfully enough to advance to Area.
“We’re trying to work really hard to make Area Finals,” Manning said. “The past couple years, we’ve been one away. So I think this year we can break through and make Aarea Finals and have that second competition.”
