We know that with this year’s circumstances, nothing has stayed the same and that is especially true for the Wildcat Marching Band. Other than the school changes everyone had to endure this year, the band didn’t get to stay together. By this, I mean the whole band of almost 200 students were separated into three groups based on their skill level. This is normal during the band’s concert season, however this has posed some difficulties within the marching season.
“This just meant we had to be creative with how we would practice. Much of our time was spent on the most important element THE MUSIC! Band is so much more than just a class you come in, play, then leave. It really is a family… it allows an experience of doing something fun together and making memories,” Band Director Nathan Heath said. “Although this year’s experience was different, it was most certainly MEMORABLE. I am confident that this generation will remember 2020 not as a hardship in band, but rather as a time that the students were able to show that they are leaders… they demonstrate some of the greatest positive attitudes in Northview High School. This first semester has made me very proud of our students and has made me cherish our precious time together even more.”
To make up for some of the quality time they were forced to spend apart, the band was able to meet together after school hours to practice together. Of course, these practices needed to be outside to ensure social distancing protocols were followed.
“I would have liked to have everyone together, but we couldn’t because of Covid. I think just having one period we didn’t get that much done for marching band… I felt that everyone should be able to be in a group so we can hear what the whole group sounds like,” junior Kaitlyn Barch said.
“Hearing only a few people play their instruments has a much smaller effect than if you were to hear a band the size of ours perform together. Any band is much stronger when they play as a whole than if they’re separated,” Drum Major Mollie Barret said.
One of the more obvious downsides of this change falls on the freshmen this year. They had to miss out on meeting and bonding with their fellow band members. Something that makes the band so special is the unique bond the students share.
“I think that we sounded a lot better in Marching Band this year because we primarily focused on our playing and sound, so that we were able to put out a show this year,” Barret said. “Having each concert group play separated from one another made the process of the marching season go a lot slower and made it hard to get things done quickly, since each group went at a different pace, but I think all in all, everything went a lot better than we expected.”
Under such circumstances as these, the Wildcat Marching Band was able to perform, which is more that can be said for several other normal school functions this year.
