ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
“That” Liberal Band has been keeping quite busy lately, and their results at a pair of recent competitions has shown off their hard work.
'That' Liberal Band traveled to Kansas State University in Manhattan Saturday, Oct. 12, where they took part in an hour-long clinic with K-State staff and marching band section leaders. The band performed that evening and ultimately ended up coming home with a 1 'Superior' rating. Then, Oct. 22, the band competed at the WAC Marching Festival in Dodge City and again ended up bringing home a 1 'Superior' rating, which director Andrew Johnson said he could not be happier about.
“There's always something to be worked on and/or cleaned up, but overall, we're really happy with how our competition season is going,” Johnson said. “It's great knowing all the hard work and early mornings are paying off and helping us work toward our greater goal. Our main goal was to get 'Superior' ratings this year, we'd gotten several 2 'Excellent' ratings last year. Asking teenagers to be up and ready and on the marching field at 7 a.m. is very unnatural, so getting and keeping them motivated can be tough at times, but they're a great group and know why they're working so hard.”
“I agree with Drew, my biggest fear was going into this year and having that 7 a.m. start time, because in the past, the start time was 7:20 a.m.,” assistant director Ben Hogan said. “While 20 minutes might not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, it's been a bit challenging helping everyone overcome that.”
The band introduced its show at a special showcase at the end of the summer, and Johnson and Hogan agreed putting the show together has been a great time.
“For those who don't know, our show's theme this year is 'Cursed,' and it's all about ancient Egypt and mummies and all of that, and the best part about it is the music,” Johnson said. “The music is just so much fun and so energetic, and the students have really gotten behind it because it's just got so much energy. Then, pairing that with the drill on the field, it's all come together really well. The judges at competition are always looking for high-demand drillwork, and we do more of that than any other WAC school. It's 50 drill sets we're putting on the field for maybe six and a half minutes of time, and it's astounding how they're able to all work together. The music is fun and sounds cool, and we've been hearing from so many people about how much they enjoy it. And those compliments aren't coming from just Liberal community members, I had a Perryton band parent tell me they enjoyed us when we marched in the parade down there, and I had a Dodge City parent message me after the WAC festival and tell me 'That was an excellent show you put on.' We've put together a fun and energetic production, and that's what's helped keep it fresh for us. There have been times where rehearsal hasn't gone as well as we'd like and we're having to all but drag everyone through, but those are few and far between, and the students all just love the music and are having a great time. There's been a lot of practicing and rehearsal to make sure everything looks the way it's supposed to, and as far as the props, we've used more props this year than any other time in the past, at least as long as I've been working with the band, and it's worked great.”
“We put out a call for volunteers, and we've got a great group of parents helping us out for this year with transporting instruments and props and everything else, and it's great to be able to rely on them and trust them. We've got a strong support system, but we can always use more people, and anyone interested can attend our band booster meetings, which happen every month,” Hogan added. “And going back to the WAC festival, which saw shows themed around 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek,' I would say we had the most high-intensity show in the festival. Music-wise, I felt like everyone was pretty even, but I feel like our show was the most intense out of the lineup. And we went rather hog wild on the props for this year, that's not something we've done a lot of in the past, so it's been great to be able to do that this year.”
As Johnson and Hogan tell it, however, the band’s work is far from done.
“We recently had our community concerts, which saw performances from the marching band, the fall concert band, and the jazz band. The jazz band will also be performing at the Pumpkin Festival at Friends Church for their charity, and they're looking forward to that,” Johnson said. “Then, we have a little downtime, and I say little because we have to take football playoffs into account and see how that all goes. We also have honor band and KMEA events the students are either currently auditioning for or will be auditioning for in the near future. We've also got a December concert we're preparing for, so we've definitely got our hands full. And even though it’s only October, there are a few ideas we're kicking around for next year’s show, including the idea that ultimately took second place on our list of ideas for this year. We're definitely going to keep brainstorming and looking around and seeing what sparks an idea or two. In December, we'll actually be visiting Chicago for an international band and orchestra clinic, and the exhibition hall we'll be in is absolutely huge. With where we'll be, there's enough space for any band to do any formations/drillwork they want, and there will also be more than 200 vendors there, so for anyone involved with band or orchestra, this clinic will be THE spot.”
Overall, Johnson said, he is very happy with how the ‘That’ Liberal Band season is shaping up.
“I'm really happy with how our competition season is going, and I feel like the students are seeing the results of their hard work and everything they've been doing,” Johnson said. “Like I said, there are days where it's particularly rough, but we get through it and just keep going on, and getting those 'Superior' ratings really put everything into perspective for them.”
