Montrose High School’s marching band performed at the first home football game of the season this Friday, September 3. This performance marks the start of their competitive season as they prepare for their first competition on Saturday, September 11, and State in October.

The marching band performed a show entitled, “Transcend,” that includes four movements as well as a pre-show. The music is a combination of classical and jazz and helps to illustrate the piece’s theme of one’s journey of self-acceptance and fitting in despite adversity.

All of the movements included are arranged to fit the show’s needs. Pre-Show is entitled “Music of the Spheres,” while Movement 1 is “Tempered Steel.” Movement 2 is “Nocturne No. 21,” Movement 3 is “Big Four on the River,” and Movement 4 is “By the Hands that Reach Us.”

“For the first football game, we performed a (visually) incomplete version of the pre-show through the second movement,” Vance Couturier, Junior and one of the trumpet section leaders, said. “For the second game, we will play a more visually involved version of the same segment of the show. As the season progresses, we will eventually be performing the full show on-field.”

Friday night’s half-time performance was an opportunity for the band to showcase their progress thus far in creating a winning show.

“It was great to finally be back after all the COVID restrictions last year. The band was excited to be able to cheer on the team and play pep music for the crowd,” Montrose High School Band Director Sheridan Loyd said. “They had a strong halftime performance and we will continue to add more detail and more of the show as our season progresses.”

The details added to the show throughout the season will build up to a State Performance on Saturday, October 30th — the first one in three years. 

“The students are working harder than ever toward state competition, and we have  added two additional competitions for this season so that our students feel prepared and know what to expect,” Loyd said. “We’re looking forward to seeing what other bands have put together and having our complete show come together on the field.”

“Our show is truly remarkable; something near DCI (Drum Corp. International) capacity. I myself believe that this show has amazing potential for a high placing at state,” Couturier said.