The band marches on!

An inside look on how the Grants Pass High School Marching Band continues to do what they love in a pandemic, featuring interviews from real band members.

The Show Goes On

By Liv Akers

For the last several months, Grants Pass, along with much of the world, has been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as time passes, life is slowly beginning to return to normal, and artists are doing all they can to return to their work. One instance of this is the Grants Pass High School Marching Band, who are back and practicing ,despite the hardships the world has endured since last March. As a member of the band myself, I have had a lot of students and family members ask me how the band is managing to meet during the pandemic. Despite the danger, the marching band has managed to hold a fairly successful season, while still keeping their participants safe.

In order to keep everyone safe, new rules were put in place pertaining to masks and social distancing that were to be adhered to at all times. For instance, wind players were only allowed to be unmasked when playing, and everyone else was to be masked at all times. Social distancing protocols were put in place, as well, and every staff member and student had their temperature checked and recorded upon entering campus. Unlike past seasons, family members and local fans were not permitted to enter the football field during rehearsal, but anyone is able to watch from outside the fence along A street. Rehearsal times were also reduced, with band camp cut down to three-hour daily rehearsals, five days a week, as opposed to nine hours a day, six days a week. As school started, rehearsals were reduced even further, from five afternoons a week to two evenings and a morning every other Saturday, as well as an additional afternoon sectional for percussion and color guard. By following these changes, the band was able to practice together safely.

In order to feed the curiosity of the lovely readers of The Scroll, I posted a survey on our Instagram story to find out exactly what people want to know about the band season and, to be honest, there were a few questions in there I had not even thought of. For instance, a few people wanted to know how wind players are expected to play through a mask. Luckily, the choreography for the show is distanced enough that wind players can take their masks off while they play, but have to keep them on at all times otherwise. There is also a cover put on the end of all the wind instruments to prevent spit particles from flying out the end. And yes, the directors and staff are doing a great job enforcing protocols. As Emma Bernhart, front ensemble section leader, put it: “They did a good job trying to keep everyone safe while still giving us a marching season.” Mr. Norfleet, the band director, reminds the group fairly frequently to stay separated, and most just have the sense to remain distanced. Head drum major Ella Hayes told me, “We haven’t really had problems during the season that have to do with the extra measures put in place, and everyone in the band has been very understanding… I think that everyone feels that whatever we have to do to be able to be back and practicing again is worth it!”

Of course, while many recognize how lucky they are just to be able to play, it is natural to wish things were different. Most of the members that I spoke to mentioned traveling for competitions. “I miss having a fun time with friends on bus rides or just being able to go see other bands from the stands. I think that what we practice for all leads to the competitions and the recognition for all our hard work, and it’s a bummer that we can’t do that right now,” Hayes expressed. Similarly, Andrew Romero, keytarist in the front ensemble, thinks that experience just is not the same. “I want to be able to feel the air on my lips again,” he said. Despite this, he also added, “Being in band is not just about working hard and putting the time and effort in, it’s about being a part of a family.” Bernhart had thoughts along the same line, having told me, “The best part of the season was getting to play music with the people that I love.”

Even though it can be difficult, band is so much more to these students than just music, and being able to practice despite the current state of the world means everything to them. Being able to hear music coming from Mel Ingram stadium is a reminder that everything is slowly but surely returning to normal, and serves as a beacon of hope for the community. It may still be dark now, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the Grants Pass Marching Band is headed straight for it.

All photos used in this article are courtesy of Jeff Borngasser and the other respective photographers.

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