By Lauren Barbour
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The Trojan Marching Band ended their season on a bittersweet note with their last performance of the show “Uprising” at Trojan Bandfest on Nov. 14. After reigning victorious in the sweepstakes category of both competitions they took part in, the band’s season culminated in one last, emotional performance on their home field.
“From my standpoint, I thought it was awesome. Energy on the field was there, it was a lot of energy. Especially considering it was our last run of the season ever,” said Drum Major Senior Daniel Nakayama. “As far as how well it went, it wasn’t our best runthrough but it was definitely the most memorable.”
Despite hiccups in the presentation, the exhibition was considered a successful one by its performers. Nakayama explained, “Well as far as ‘Every note was hit, no one was out of time, stuff didn’t go wrong,’ stuff went wrong. That’s bound to happen but as far as how we felt personally and how much emotion and energy we put into the show, it was probably the best that way, as opposed to, ‘Oh, everything was done correctly.’”
Various factors contributed to that impression. “One, it’s our home event and this is what we host. Two, it’s the last one of the season so they’re a little better prepared than they are in the previous weeks,” said Marching Band Director Derek Kaapana. “There’s a lot of pride and also heart that goes into what they’re doing for this particular event so I think that they put out everything. They did an amazing job that night and I think everyone is proud of what they did.”
Similarly, the band’s season was a set of its own highs and lows, although band members are satisfied with its conclusion. “This past season was a little rough. We definitely had some downs but also a lot of ups,” said Clarinet Section Leader Senior Aimee Gaza. “Some of the downs were probably just at practices. You know, sometimes there’s low energy and sometimes not everybody’s doing that great musically and visually but some of the ups are definitely being able to take home sweepstakes at both of our competitions and winning and just the feeling after Bandfest of lying down on the field and just feeling so satisfied with what we did this season.”
For seniors such as Nakayama and Gaza, the performance carried additional emotional weight. “It was definitely very bittersweet. Because on one hand, marching band takes up so much of your social life, it’s just so hard to get anything done but on the other hand it’s like my last year ever doing this and it was very emotional, I have to say,” said Nakayama. Gaza said, “It’s very bittersweet knowing that I’m done performing but it’s also very satisfying knowing that you finished the season strong and you did your absolute best.”
This year’s show, “Uprising,” was a story of man versus machine and contained a storytelling element not prominent in other schools’ performances. Nakayama said, “I want to sound modest but I really can’t. If you look at all the other bands and you look at our band, the amount of work we put into the show is the same but the concepts, as far as Mililani is concerned, it’s a lot more artistic and it’s more of a story-telling thing.”
The show, having been designed by Kaapana and his staff, had additional benefits. “I think it benefits them because we can write and tailor things to the strengths and to the weaknesses from the viewpoint that (is) trying to make those weaknesses into strengths in the future,” said Kaapana. “So I think that’s a real benefit, as opposed to giving them something they may be able to achieve, they may not. We kind of work things and change things as we go along.”
This year also marked the start of preparations for the band’s upcoming participation in the Bands of America (BOA) Grand National Championships next year, where the students will be able to take part in the national competition in Indianapolis, Ind. “We’re really trying to step up our game because next year we’re going to be competing in Indiana for the BOA Grand National Championships so this year was really just trying to make sure we’re prepared for next year,” said Gaza.
Despite being unable to join the rest of their bandmates in Indiana next year, Nakayama, Gaza and the rest of the seniors still lend their support and best wishes, while Kaapana continues to provide a unique experience for both his students and their spectators.
