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Titan Marching Band Meets for First Time Since Pandemic

By Kirsten Wheeler

After a year and a half off the field, the Titan Marching Band (TMB) meets in person to make some noise for the first time in all of the 2020-2021 school year. The meeting, which took place on April 22, served as a one-time only reunion for the current school year, as a sort of farewell to seniors, a welcome to those who had yet to march at all, and a welcome back to veterans who will be sticking around next year.

Back in the fall, the TMB had to make do by conducting their season completely virtually over Zoom, which is particularly difficult with an activity that is so reliant on synchronicity and teamwork. “Starting online was definitely nerve wracking in a different way,” TMB drum major Ellie Barkyoumb (senior) said, “...you lack the face to face connection so a lot of the social aspects were lost.”

Amid the excitement of being able to meet in person, safety still was to remain a top priority. This included discussions and meetings with staff and students to gauge how the meeting should be run and what people felt comfortable with. “Once we determined there was more energy around one reunion type of meeting rather than weekly practices, we announced the opportunity and started encouraging students to register to participate” TMB and Einstein music director Mr. Kelly said.

It was decided that the meeting would be run like a traditional practice, focusing on marching technique. Instruments were not to be used to ensure that everyone adhered to the strict mask wearing policy. Conveniently for the participants, given the nature of marching band drills, safety was quite easily maintained while leaving the marching protocols relatively unhindered. “The primary safety measures were distance and masking,” Mr. Kelly said, “distance is especially easy to accomplish in marching band because we all maintain equal distance between one another at all times and the dots we use on our practice lot are 2.5 yards apart, which is MORE than 6 feet!”

Despite the time and safety restrictions of the meeting, it was sure to breath new life into the dormant band. “It was so cool to see the students interacting again and to share some laughs,” Mr. Kelly said, “Even though we can’t know for sure what next year will look and feel like, I think everyone is very optimistic about the opportunity we will have to work together and make it a memorable year for everyone after such a difficult year and half for us all.”

And while some may not be able to get to experience the new age of the TMB next year, they were able to get a satisfying conclusion to their marching band experience with this reunion. “Getting to see everyone together on the practice lot was nostalgic,” Barkyoumb said, “[it] gave me a sense of closure about this past year.”