By Nathan Park
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The Trojan Marching Band made its mark publicly on Dec. 3 when they marched in the Annual Mililani Christmas Parade. Festive melodies and drum rolls echoed in the streets as the marching band led the parade from the Town Center, through Meheula Pkwy., down Kuahelani Ave. to the Mililani Shopping Center.
“I thought it was more creative this year,” commented audience member Lori Wright, continuing, “Like how for the different instruments they put stuff around it and wrapped paper around it so you don’t even realize that they’re instruments.”
A key element in the band’s performance was their holiday spirit; members came wearing Santa hats and elf caps. They also decorated their instruments with ribbons and wrapping paper to make them look like presents. “I thought they performed well,” Wright said, “The color guards were phenomenal,” said Wright.
The marching band’s performance consisted of a Christmas Medley named “Step Along with Santa,” which went in sync with a color guard performance and drumline that was repeated until the end of the parade. The medley was composed of famous holiday classics like “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Jingle Bells”. The routine ended with the marching band singing “Mele Kalikimaka”, a Hawaiian Christmas classic. “A lot of kids say it’s their favorite, cause it has all of the famous Christmas songs like Jingle Bells,” explained Drum Major Kailee Goya.
Leading up to the event, the marching band had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. “We practiced just for one week …. we met on Tuesday and Thursday,” explained Color Guard member Mapuana Infiel. Since there was little meeting time, individual practice was vital. “We don’t spend a lot of time on things like practicing for parades,” Marching Band Director Derek Kaapana explained, “They have to work on their own on getting the music.”
The holiday season boosted the band’s morale. “Well I really like marching in the parade because it’s Christmas time and that’s my favorite time of the year. And I just love spreading Christmas spirit,” explained Infiel. Pleasant weather and a supportive audience added to their excitement. “I feel good … it’s fun since it’s not really hot and it’s really festive and everyone’s coming in that Christmas spirit,” said Goya.
The band felt proud of their performance and looked forward to their performance at the Honolulu Festival of Lights, which took place the same day. Those two performances marked the end of the marching band season.
