The CHIEF October 2019

Band Update: Washington Competition

By Alyssa Rodriguez

On the dreary and rain-filled day of September 21st, many great bands from around Illinois joined in on the annual Indian Showdown hosted by Pontiac. About eleven bands showed up to perform their marching show for the 2019 marching season. While not all of the bands got to perform due to the weather that day, many were troopers and pushed through the rain to show their band off and the hard work they have put into their own shows. The winner of class A (the smallest of the three classes) was Hersher.In class AA, U-High took the trophy for first in their class. The winner of AAA was East Peoria. All bands performed very well brought their all. Our own Marching Indians did not get to perform their show entitled “What Dreams May Come” this year. Nevertheless, the students had the chance to observe other bands and meet other band members from around the area. Since the Indian Showdown is done, the band now focuses on polishing all four of the movements in their show in hopes to do well in upcoming competitions. The first competition for the Marching Indians took place on September 7th at Washington. The band started its day early with rehearsal to clean up a few of the spots in the two movements they performed that afternoon. The Marching Indians ended up taking fourth place in their class and ended up thirteenth out of twenty-five bands. While there is much more work to be put into the remaining movements, it is a good start for the Indians in the competition season. The first competition allows for the band to receive feedback that they can then build off of and improve from for future performances. The band now see how they rank next to other schools from around the state and now have a clear focus on what needs to be worked on. Competitions to come include the Normal Marching Band Invitational on October 12th and their final competition at the University of Illinois on October 26th. Indian Showdown By Alyssa Rodriguez