In the summer most students aren't even thinking about school, but for the Reeths-Puffer marching band it is a little different. It's pretty obvious that the band puts in a lot of time outside of school and before school even starts, beginning in the spring of the previous school year. Mr. Harris's reasoning for starting in the spring is because “by the time summer hits we are not where we need to be, but with that many folks we can't start in the summer and be ready for the fall.” He adds that it's “just like any other team. We have our own playbook. We have our own basic skills. We have to train and as far as teams go, it's the largest team in the district, so I have more students to train and get ready because we don't have anyone that sits on the bench.” He details that it's a lot like other sports because “once we start our training in the spring, the students are not only getting better at their basic skills, but they are getting to know their other teammates, and I think that counts for a lot.”
Photo taken by Joe Lane
At the start of the summer, the band assembles just a couple of evenings in a week, but by mid summer, some daytime hours are added. Harris said, “they’ll show up in the afternoon around 12, then get a dinner break, and then they’ll show up in the evening.” And the work continues and amplifies in August. Harris also emphasized that “they're not doing the same thing for like 4 or 5 hours at a time, and they are not doing it without a break.” He described their practices like a class schedule where at certain times kids will be doing one practice and then after an hour, they will go to their next practice.
Photo by Joe Lane
If the hours in the summer is not enough, they also hold a band camp in the last two weeks of July. Harris said, “everything that we do in the summer builds up to band camp and that jumpstarts our show that we are learning.” In band camp they try to learn a third to half of the show. Even though in band camp they go from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, they get hour breaks every 2-3 hours.
Photo by Joe Lane
The band's off season work has been paying off this season with one excellent performance after another. Their recent performance at the Granville Invitational earned them the highest score. At Regionals, of the 18 different bands from around the Northwest, only 12 made it to finals, including Reeths-Puffer Marching band, who earned 8th place. And this past weekend the band’s amazing performance earned them 1st place at the State Prelims, an accomplishment they were all looking forward to. They’ve been working tirelessly week after week to perfect the shows, and they are now preparing for the upcoming State Championship Saturday, November 2 at Ford Field. When asking student Bailey Bohland about how she feels about the state competition, she said, “going to state is so exciting, walking onto Ford Field feels like a completely different experience than any other competition.”
The band demonstrates time and time again that hard work pays off, but what they build together, the bonds forged and the relationships developed, goes beyond all trophies.
Written by Ian Wright