Carnival sounds and marching drums echo due to the arrival of fall. And with it the marching season. While many were still sleeping, the marching band placed second in the high school division at the Caruthers District Parade on Sept. 30.

The band competed against four different bands in their division and placed second. The color guard and drum major both placed third, while the majorette placed first.

?I was very happy with the concentration level of the students,? Chris Rice, band director, said. ?Once the competition was over we had a great time at the fair.?

The Caruthers Parade was Rice’s first time in a marching competition as a director.

?I was most definitely nervous,? Rice said. ?But I think I handled myself well and the students rose to the occasion.?

The band was graded in three different categories: marching and maneuvers, music performance and showmanship. In all three groups the band received the highest points in marching out of all the bands.

?The most difficult part about marching is taking my vision of what I want it to be and adapting it to the size of the band and their past instruction,? Rice said. ?We are going to work on making the music more appealing so that our sound makes us sound bigger then we really are.?

In an effort to prepare all 22-band members, they practices their field show routine every Tuesday from 5:30-7:30 P.M.

?Its really hard because I had to stay at school for 14 hours on Tuesdays because of evening band practices and basketball practices,? Andrew Biehler, ?08, said. ?However, it was the only time to get the stuff down for the parade.?

Hannah Wilhelm, ?07, competed as drum major for the third year at the Caruthers District Parade.

?This year I wasn?t nervous so I was able to make it through the parade without dropping anything,? Wilhelm said. ?Its challenging being a drum major because you have to know directions to give, how to direct and lead the band through a parade and be able to do a routine.?

The band will next perform with the junior high band during homecoming at Clark Intermediate on Oct. 6. They also plan to march at the Selma Band Review on Oct. 28, the Pismo Beach Band Review on Nov. 11, and the Lincoln Review of Champions on Nov. 18.