Sound in Motion Marches to Victory

Sound+in+Motion+decked+out+in+their+uniforms+at+the+Norwalk+Halloween+Parade%2C+earning+their+first+dub+of+the+season.

photo by @cypband

Sound in Motion decked out in their uniforms at the Norwalk Halloween Parade, earning their first dub of the season.

by Anelina Alegre, Editor-in-Chief

Cypress’s marching band, Sound in Motion, opens the 2022 season with success, winning first place at the Norwalk Halloween Parade. Recently, they also played in uniform for the very first time this year at our homecoming game. The students play live music for every football game whenever our team scores, livening the bleachers and hyping the team.

Drum major Michael Matienzo conducts the band at the Homecoming game. (Photo Credit: Anelina Alegre)

Sound in Motion won first overall at the Norwalk Halloween Parade on Saturday, October 15th, which was their first parade of the season. Cypress also won first place Military Drum Major and fourth place in Pageantry. Four seniors won scholarships from the officials at the Norwalk Parade: Hind Abdallat, Giselle Amezcua, and Bianka Avendano received $1000, and Jordan Vu received $1500.   

 At each parade, the Centurions compete against other schools along with colorguard. The students dress out in full uniform and march synchronously through the street, all while playing in unison. In front of them, colorguard performs with their props and flags. They are judged by visuals and sound, some factors including their marching, musical sound, and uniform. Points can be docked if a judge spots a mistake, like a drum major or colorguard member dropping their baton/flag.

Jordan Vu, a senior drum major, explains the role of the three drum majors. They are essentially the leaders of the band, conducting tempo and guiding the other band members. The three senior drum majors are Michael Matienzo, Kevin Truong, and Jordan Vu. The only current junior drum major is Alaa Hassouneh, who will take over as the future head drum major when the seniors graduate. 

Their next field show was at Glover Stadium on October 22nd. Field shows involve the band performing on a football field, incorporating both visuals and sound into their performance. Usually, field shows are performed during football games, but in this show they comped against other schools.

October 29th was a busy and excitement-filled day for Sound in Motion too. Boosted by the energetic crowd and atmosphere, the group received 3rd place in 5A Band, 4th place for Drum Major Michael Matienzo, and the Pageantry received 5th in Auxiliary for the afternoon Band Review. Additionally, the group placed 3rd in Auxiliary, 5th in Percussion, and 3rd overall in the 6A Division of the evening Field Tournament.

Another great performance recently took place at Ron Yary Stadium in Bellflower for the Mayfair Field Tournament on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.. In the caption awards, the Pageantry received 1st place, and the Percussion received the Sweepstakes Award for the highest score of all the percussion sections in the competition. Overall, the group received the High Music Award and the Sweepstakes Trophy for the highest score in the entire competition. 

The band travels back to Glover Stadium Wednesday to perform at the AUHSD Band and Pageantry Spectacular. It starts at 7 PM and is free to the public. 

Band students practice every day during zero period, as well as every Wednesday after school from 3:00 to 5:30. They usually practice alongside colorguard since they perform together. 

Both band and colorguard dedicate so much of their time to what they do, and appreciate all support or donations.