The UCHS Centurion Sound Marching Band and Color Guard performed their first field show on October 8, 2011 for the Fifteenth Annual Invitational Field Tournament at Scripps Ranch High School.

“I think if you take into account how early this field show was and how late we started learning it, I think the band did a really great job stepping up to the challenge,” said Assistant Drum Major Senior Bryant Fiesta.

Bands are placed in divisions based on the number of performers, according to Fiesta, with 1A being the smallest. There were a total of 10 bands competing, four of which fall into Class 2A, the division that UC competes in. These include Orange Glen, Escondido, and Ramona High.

This was the first tournament of the season, and will be followed by tournaments at Poway High School on October 22 and Mira Mesa High School on November 5. UC’s music selection originated from the storyline of Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam, explained Color Guard Captain Camille Nostrates, and include Atmadja, Ninkou Latora, Quidam, and Incantation.

UC placed third in Band and fourth in Auxiliary, with scores of 53.7 and 46.8, respectively. Ramona earned first place in both Band and Auxiliary for the 2A division. San Marcos High, the only 6A band competing, won both the Band and Auxiliary Sweepstakes Awards. The Sweepstakes Awards are awarded to the school with the highest overall score, across all divisions.

“It obviously wasn’t our best, and it wasn’t our worst. We’re viewing Saturday’s performance as a measuring stick…. Our final destination is an excellent performance at Mira Mesa,” said Band Director Cameron Brown.

“Commitment to the fundamentals of basic marching technique is our focus from here on out.  And it’s not just knowing how to do it, it’s the self-discipline to make yourself perform in such a way at all times instead of resorting back to lazy, sloppy technique,” said Brown, referring to issues such as instrument position, posture, and marching in tempo.

Also critical to a field show is the guard, whose score is included as part of the Auxiliary. It is particularly important as part of the GE, or general effect, which is a large part of the score. “Color guard provides the visual representation of the music our band plays,” said Nostrates.

“Music always tells a story, so the whole band and the whole guard have to work together to show the story. There are love stories and there are battles, and people die and people fall in love, and there are dramatic lifts, and all these crazy things…. It just feels like you’re watching a movie,” said Assistant Drum Major Senior Erin Nicole Vedar.

“It’s going to come with time, and they’re going to be more comfortable with the whole show and marching while they’re playing, especially [for] the rookies,” said Fiesta. “So by the time we hit our next field show, we’re going to be a lot better.”