The Battlin’ Bear Band got a practice experience Friday in preparation for Monday’s state marching contest. The high school students learned to expect the unexpected. Their equipment truck broke down on the way to Beaumont for a special rehearsal inside Ford Park.
The band members quietly waited inside the arena until the truck arrived, late but with everything on board.
The band will be playing inside San Antonio’s Alamodome for the contest. The domed stadium is different than the open air football fields the band usually uses for performances. Band Director Jose Ochoa arranged a rehearsal inside the arena so the students could experience the reverberations and echoes.
Ochoa, wearing a backpack holding a portable speaker unit, said at one point “We can’t fall apart here.”
The intricate show band-style performance features different genres of music as the band members move around in formations. Sometimes the players sway. Sometimes they do a balletic plie’ and sometimes they left a leg. This year’s performance is entitled “Da Vinci’s Playlist: The Anatomy of an Artist.”
One time in the rehearsal, some saxophone players moved out of step. Ochoa told them on the speaker, but added he’s not worried about the feet. “I’m worrying if we can hold it together.”
Holding the music together is a challenge for any band in a large stadium, especially an indoor one. The music and beats come back at the band as they are playing. A musician has a tendency to be distracted by the echoes with a different beat.
The indoor rehearsal was invaluable to get the young players the opportunity to understand the phenomenon.
The Little Cypress-Mauriceville High Battlin’ Bear Band went to the state band competition two years ago, but didn’t place. Still, they made the state contest, an honor in itself. Bands must score well through district and regional competitions to earn a spot at state.
Texas University Interscholastic League has different school classification state band contests every year. A band can go to the state contest only every other year. LC-M is making the trip for the second time in a row for their eligibility. Ochoa was an assistant director two years ago and is in his first year as the director.
Ochoa was interviewed by Gary Stelly on The KOGT Morning Show following the Area Competition. The Corrigan-Camden grad went to McNeese State University as a trumpet player before following his dream into education. He added that during his time at McNeese is when he learned of the past success of the LCM band and was excited when he found out he got the job.
Ochoa credits the three drum majors, Valen Elliott, Bayleigh Swanton and Jada McMackin with the band’s success. They are “good on the field and good off the field taking care of issues.” He also said the band boosters with parents “is a great organization” that assists.
The band is set to perform at 10:30 a.m. Monday. After all the bands in the competition perform, the judges will name the top 10 to go back and perform again for the highest awards.
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