By Kara Nitta
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Spending 12 hours for three days with the same people rehearsing at school doesn’t sound like an ideal way to spend break. However, marching band members chose to attend camp, which helped them build stronger bonds and prepared them for this season’s competitions.
“We’re learning the drill all the forms were making on the field … we learn and finish rehearsing the music for the show and … put everything together (for competition) during that camp,” said band director Derek Ka apana. This year’s show is called Revolution, which features music from “V for Vendetta,” Sam Cooke, The Beatles, and John Lennon. The first of these competitions that the band prepared for though band camp was the Menehune Classic on Oct. 15 at Moanalua High School. “We would chart our places on the field for the show and run them through over and over and over again until our feet are like about to fall off,” explained french horn player Rachel Yonamine.
The camp wasn’t just all work and no play. On the last day, the band went to Camp Erdman to bond. “We did lots of fun activities like red rover, jan ken po, caterpillar (and) section skits,” recalled Yonamine. As a tradition, band camp ended with a bonfire. “We have a bonfire and each section presents something and we throw it into the fire. Hopes, dreams, pains and sorrows, everything goes into that fire and we burn it away,” explained Drum Major Keanu Robles.
The hard work and long hours involved with band camp have helped to give the band more unity. “Well about camp, it really helps us bond and know that we are all together in this. Like of course we all have our different sections in our band, but … when we perform, we aren’t sections we perform as a band. As one band. One sound. One soul,” said Yonamine.
The camp also offered many opportunities to meet new people. “You make a lot of friends over band camp, like people you don’t even know where it’s like freshman, sophomore, seniors, just making friends while doing hard work,” said french horn player Tayla Yogi.
With all of this preparation, the band looks forward to competing in their first competition at MHS on Nov. 5.
