The waning hot and lazy days of summer mean only one thing to area high school band students: marching band camp has arrived.
Students at Central High School wound up their camp last Friday while students at West will complete theirs today. All day, every day for up to two weeks, these young musicians will practice drills, learn music, muster uniforms and forge friendships that will last throughout the school year.
"It's a long camp and a lot of work but people get a lot out of it,” said Seth Hoard, a senior who is the drum major for Central. "We always make it fun, we do a lot of drills but we do fun music and play a lot of games.”
"Overall, they enjoy each other and enjoy what we do,” he added.
Rain, heat, humidity, sunburn: nothing stops band members who are steeped in an atmosphere of perseverance.
"We have a saying in the West band: chop wood, carry water,” said band director Pat Brumbaugh. "Because that's what it's all about, hard work. So we're in the middle of a rehearsal and everybody's hot and tired, I'll yell, "Chop wood,” and they'll yell, 'Carry water.'”
"They've got great attitude, they're really excited,” she added. "They work incredibly hard.”
In the final days leading band camp with colleague Flournoy Humphries, band director at West Junior High School, Brumbaugh noted that the experience helps her get into the swing of the upcoming school year. After 32 seasons leading bands, she has it down to a formula and her plan for camp sketched out by spring.
This year, her 120-person marching band will present a program featuring the music of trumpeter Bill Chase, a noted jazz-rock fusion artist from the 1970s who died in a plane crash in 1974. Mastering the music is an important facet of the camp, equal to drilling the moves. The West marching band will play their music from the stands during this Thursday's football game.
"Our musical goal is to get all the kids to work coherently as a group and get to know each other really well,” said Brumbaugh of the eight-day camp. "Then to learn all the drill for the show, to get it all together on the field.”
Across town, Central High School band director Jake Brumbaugh and his band have already debuted the musical portion of their show: playing music from Cowboy Bebop from the stands during last Friday's Central football game at Thirlby Field. The 65-member band wound up their two-week camp just before the game, mastering the music and moves during all-day sessions.
Brumbaugh chose to write all the drills himself this year, a move seldom done anymore by band directors. Aided by a computer program he used in college, he dreamed up and wove the patterns that pair notes and steps. He has been at school almost every day all summer to work up the drills.
"Most people buy their shows,” said Brumbaugh, whose students will march to the music during games after school starts. "I kind of put the burden on myself but it's been enjoyable and the kids can have input. I'm able to see strengths and go toward those strengths.”