Now, our Marching Band is back, and playing louder than ever. It’s been four years since the world went into lockdown, and Cypress High’s Sound in Motion struggled to make a comeback when it came time to march in person again. “We are the closest we’ve been to our pre-COVID size,” James Quirion, Cypress High School Band Director said. “It’s not like they were at a different, higher level of achievement before we shut down, but there has definitely been a learning curve to being in a live band again.” Quirion believes that between the students’ “enthusiasm to play and dedication in building skills,” there is not much of a difference between the shutdown and where they have grown to be today.
Beside the struggles Sound in Motion has gone through these past four years, another stressor strikes the band. During marching season, there is a time in the beginning of the school year where they learn both the music for football games and the sets for their field competition season. During stressful times like these, Drum Major Brooke Hamilton advises the students to “talk to people in the same situation as you” and to “bond with the stress.” Memorizing music, performing at competitions and parades, and the occasional football games brings lots of strain on the band. Jerry Tran, Booster Representative and Drumline Bass One, would advise new band members to “get lots of sleep and take care of themselves.”
There are many leadership positions that help Sound in Motion thrive, including Drum Majors, Section Leaders, and Band President. “A lot of responsibilities fall onto the Drum Majors.” Julian Lopez, Drum Major, explained. “Even if you’re not doing the physical activities of all of the stretches and the marching, you’re the reason why everyone else does.” Being a leader takes a lot of strength, mentally and physically, but for Section Leader Ghaleb Samawi, he finds that his reason to keep marching is because it gives him “a reason to wake up in the morning,” and if it weren’t for band, he would become “one of those high schoolers who couldn’t care enough.”
Though being a member of Sound in Motion may sound like a difficult task, each “band kid” has their own unique story of why they joined, but more importantly, why they stayed. “It’s another feeling of productivity once you come home from a football game or a field competition,” Jeffrey Shim, Band President explains. “It is a genuinely unique experience because of the memories that come with it.”
