The Trojan Guard Marching Band traveled to Homestead High School in Ft. Wayne, IN this past Saturday to compete with 17 other northern Indiana bands in the Indiana State School Music Association’s (ISSMA) Scholastic “A” Class State Preliminary competition.
This event marks the first level of statewide competition for the ‘Scholastic A’ and ‘Scholastic B’ Class bands, with two additional competitions taking place simultaneously at central and Southern locations around Indiana. All Indiana bands are adjudicated by a panel of 6 national caliber judges in the areas of Individual Music Performance, Ensemble Music Performance, Music Effect, Individual Visual Performance, Ensemble Visual Performance, and Overall Visual Effect.
Only 13 ‘Scholastic A’ bands from across the state have earned composite scores high enough to qualify for a Superior “Gold” division rating and advancement to the State level of competition. These bands will compete at the ISSMA Scholastic Finals competition held at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis on October 24. The champion bands from both the A and B classes will then perform in exhibition at the Open Class State Finals in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, November 7. Immediately following their performances, the two groups will be recognized with an award ceremony honoring their achievements as the ISSMA 2015 Scholastic Class Champions.
Before a note was played, or a step taken on Saturday, the Trojan Guard incurred a large penalty for a time delay caused by a malfunctioning electronics system that was integral to the band’s production. In spite of this nerve-racking situation, the group managed to compose their emotions and put in an excellent performance. Their combined efforts allowed them to achieve a Superior “Gold” division rating with a high enough score to overcome the substantial penalty, and advance to the ISSMA Scholastic State Finals competition.
The group also achieved high enough point totals in each judging caption to receive the highly coveted “With Distinction” medals in Music Performance, Visual Performance, and the area of General Effect. The Trojan Guard was one of just two ‘Scholastic A’ ensembles to medal in all three of these captions at the Homestead competition.
Entitled, A Brave New World, this year’s Trojan Guard field show is an artistic representation of a simpler time in America’s past, the trials that currently test us, and a celebration of the American Spirit and the bright days that undoubtedly lie ahead for the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave. The four movement production features adaptations of two well-known concert pieces including: ‘American Faces,’ written by David Holsinger for the concert band, and ‘Casus Belli,’ composed by Andrew Boysen Jr. for the symphony orchestra. Additional material includes arrangements of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ originally composed for the pop/rock band of the 80’s known as “Tears for Fears,” and later adapted as part of the music score for the Lions Gate Entertainment movie release of “The Hunger Games.” The Trojan Guard closes their production with a flag waving original composition by composer Key Poulan entitled, “Let Freedom Ring.”
The 95 students in the Trojan Guard include Amera Abuhakmeh, Victoria Adams, Keyon Allen, Bianca Alvarez, Hailey Ayala, Mariah Bement, Abby Billings, Kris Bodie, Brian Bolin, Trey Bonnema, Sariah Brimberry, Aaron Brookhouse, Katie Budzius, Andrew Cernick, Emily Cernick, Belle Chandler, Madison Comfort, Mercedes Cooper, Dakota Cummins, Nick Dericco, Tristan Dooley, Naomi Draus, Annabelle Engel, Dani Else, Jacob Espinoza, Laura Estridge, Victoria Evans, Andrew Figg, Riley Franklin, Sailor Franklin, Toby Franklin, Jessica Fuller, Izabelle Galvin-Ellis, David Gerth, Anthony Hampton, James Hawley, Ally Henry, Nathan Herr, Hailey Hickey, David Hodgkiss, Loren Hodgkiss, Mark Hodgkiss, Brandon Jackett, Curtis Jones, Hollie Jones, Jack Jones, Holly Kittredge, David Kosakowski, Nate Kravitz, Anthony Langley, Olivia Lee, Shania Lubarski, Jackson Lucken, Hannah Maluvac, Madison McCall, Nathan McCall, Shaye McCarthy, Reagan McCoy, Taylor McElheny, Clare McNicholas, Elissa McNicholas, Abby Morris, Kaylee Mullins, Madison Muszynski, Violet Needham, Eli Ontiveros, Spencer Ostrega, Fred Owens, Bryan Pamintuan, Joel Peterson, Nathan Poczekay, Nolan Poczekay, Jocelyn Rattray, Lysette Rattray, Dylan Rodriguez, Zach Royko, Samantha Runions, Joe Sabol, Kylie Sabol, Sydney Sarver, Delaney Schavey, Danny Schmiegel, Chris Sexton, Ashley Shideler, Emily Soblotne, Colin St. Mary, Natalie Stemler, Ayssa Thompson, Hunter Torres, Alissa VanNoort, Jacob Weitzel, Brooke Wilson, Harley Wines, Jacob Winland. The student prop crew for the Trojan Guard includes: Kelsey Bolton, Kaitlyn Brueggert, Madison Figg, Ryan Herr, Liam Oberlander, and Kaitlyn Shideler. The Drum Major for the Trojan Guard is Miss Diva Bridegroom.
In addition to the parent support of the current membership, the CHS Music Department and Band Boosters are currently looking for alumni and parents of alumni to assist with the hosting of our ISSMA Regional at CHS on Saturday, October 17. A total of 26 ‘Class A’ and ‘Class C’ bands are scheduled to compete throughout the day, and a great deal of help is needed to make this event a success.
“This is a wonderful time for alumni to get involved again and to remember the days when this organization helped to shape their lives. If they can pour soft drinks, park a car, make change, put a hotdog on a bun, or guide a band, their help in supporting the members of today’s Trojan Guard is needed and it will be greatly appreciated,” said the group’s director Michael Scheiber.
Members of the community interested in assisting with the Regional, may contact the CHS Band Booster Events Chair Alison Williams at 309-3038 at your earliest possible convenience. You may also contact the CHS Music Dept. at 983-3730 ext. 7172.