A Telling Outcome

On Saturday October 28, the Licking Valley Marching Band performed an emotional show at Hilliard Darby High School for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) state competition. What happened next, you won’t believe.

The band’s show, titled Sticks and Stones, has gone through many changes this year, but one part of the show has remained steady, the narration. The band has used narration in past year to read a story to the audience, but this year, the audio is used to announce that “we have been told that sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us [but] that’s not always true.” The voice is executed through a MIDI controller on a computer, according to Rachel Lee, a front ensemble band member. This computer is hooked up to a piano which is then connected to a speaker to project the sound. Gage Holtz, a front ensemble band member said “there was an unknown issue with the sound system. It stop reading Justin’s, [a front ensemble band member,] computer and keyboard in the middle of the performance.”

The entire ending of the show has narration that cues different choreography for the band. When this narration cut out, there was the immediate question of how there would be a resolution to the show. In this moment, Megan Kollar started shouting the words that would bring thre resolution. As more words were spoken, more members of the band joined in. This powerful moment placed the final puzzle piece to the unbreakable bond between all of the band members.

Each band member had a role in creating that effective moment which earned the band a superior rating. That night’s run was one of roughest runs the band had this season. The band had doubts about getting the rating they hoped for, but in the end, the gift of the narration coming to a halt created a great general effect for the audience and judges. The narration cutting out was another bump in an already rocky road, but it was a simple gift. That small event allowed the band to cause a mighty moment that affected everyone involved and more. As the band finishes the season at Bands of America (BOA) Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana, they hope for a run just as powerful.

Good luck to the Licking Valley Marching Band. The season isn’t over yet.