Photo Provided By MC Band Boosters
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Poway Days Parade

Photo Provided By MC Band Boosters

 

With each coming fall, MC’s Marching Sundevils take to the streets of Poway to march in the Poway Days Parade. After countless hours dedicated to mastering the show, these Sundevils took this community parade as an opportunity to showcase their skills. As their second of three community parades, the band revealed their improvement.

“The Marching Sundevils perform in three community parades a year; 4th of July in Rancho Bernardo, Poway Days Parade and our own parade in Rancho Penasquitos October 26th on Paseo Montalban,” band Director Gary MacPherson said. “The band performed very well and the crowds were very appreciative.”

While the performance went well, MacPherson expects to see more out of the Marching Sundevils as the season progresses.

“The new members of our band are still working on marching in step and playing at the same time, this takes a while to get the coordination to march and play your instrument,” MacPherson said.

Regardless, MacPherson aims to approach this with both positivity and persistence in order to reflect the Sundevil Way.

“It is still very early in our season so we need to work on a lot of musical fundamentals and marching basics, it is a whole new concept for our new members, but they always rise to our Mt. Carmel standards and I know this year’s group will do the same. It is our ‘Sundevil Way’!” said MacPherson.

As far as expectations, it is clear that MacPherson is confident in the kids’ abilities and what they can accomplish.

“I expect the band to have another great season. We have a terrific field show we are in the process of learning titled “Eternity”; the music is beautiful and exciting.”

Photo Provided By MC Band Boosters

In agreement with MacPherson, parade drum major, junior Reece Cabanas predicts a great season after their successful performance at the Poway Days Parade. As drum major, Cabanas led the band during this parade, giving him a unique perspective on their execution.

“Overall, I’m impressed with the effort they gave that day. It’s not easy marching a good mile and a half on black asphalt while the sun is beating down on you and the thermometer is hovering anywhere between 95-100 degrees,” Cabanas said.

While the performance seemed initially great to the ears of casual listeners, to a dedicated musician such as Cabanas, it’s easy to spot the flaws.

“At beginning of the parade, I thought the band sounded great for so early in the season. But towards the end of the parade, I could tell we were dying from the heat,” Cabanas said.

“Being at the front of the band, I can only hear how the band sounded, not how they looked. So by the time we were nearly finished, I noticed our sound quality and tone wasn’t the same as when we started.”

While the heat was factor in this, evidently consistency was lost later in the performance. However, their strong start lent them the upper hand in impressing spectators and will provide motivation for improvement throughout the season.

Other things Cabanas looks to improve on as a unit is the marching. Much like MacPherson, he understands the difficulties of mastering this skill as newcomer.

“I felt that we looked sloppy at times. It’s not to say that we didn’t have our good moments, but we need to keep it consistent. If we can fix these details and keep working on our music this early in the season, I believe our parade band can be unstoppable,” Cabanas said.

While a big event, this parade will be one of the Sundevils’ many feats throughout the season. With a new show and music, the season holds unlimited potential.

“Every show is unique and different and each one has its potential to be something great if we make it great,” Cabanas said.

Contrasting to last year’s popular and modern set list, the band has taken a different route this year.

“This year is more beautiful and free, yet somehow dark at times. The audience sees what we give them, and I’m hoping they see the beauty in our show, ‘Eternity’.”

Evidently, while this parade may be just another routine event in the band’s increasingly hectic schedule, it will provide the basis for a strong season.

“We’re lucky this year to have gotten a head start on parade this year and hopefully by the time we have our first parade competition, we’ll be ready to bring home another first place trophy,” Cabanas said. “Looking back at the Poway Days Parade and the LA County Fair performances, we know what we need to work on and our directors are helping us get there. If we take this opportunity to really grow as a mature parade band, this can be our year.”

In the end, the Marching Sundevils hope that their hard work and dedication will bring them nothing short of success and will represent MC’s spirit. As constant reminder, Cabanas looks to the quote that MacPherson keeps posted on his door, valuing its validity.

“Honestly, nobody said it was easy, they just said it’d be worth it,” Cabanas said. “As long as we’re giving it our all in and out of practices and we’re improving at least 1% each day, I have no doubt that we’ll blow people’s minds away in the long run.”

Written by Tia Simawang

Tia Simawang is a junior and the Features Editor. Tia is known for her erratic and constant giggling as well as her bubbly personality. But don't let that fool you because she is also well versed in the art of sarcasm. Born into a family of four, Tia has one brother who serves as her role model in life. She hates caramel and loves cheese and while she may not intially admit it, she's a tv addict who refuses to get help. When not in school, Tia plays lacrosse for MC and devotes her other spare time to the MC Sun, friends and tumblr. In the future, she hopes to get into a great college and eventually pursue a career that will let her experience living on the east coast or London.

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