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  • Daniel Carroll plays his tuba with the Duncan High Band during marching rehearsals. Derrick Miller

    Working Hard
September 7, 2010

Marching on

DHS Marching band prepares for season

Derrick Miller The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — It takes a lot to be in a marching band. Sure it may be neat to see people marching in step and moving in designs, while performing music.

But what people don’t see are the hours spent every school day getting a band together. They don’t see the students striving to learn a song and learning to move in the correct direction. They don’t see the hours early in the day in the heat or the evening practices.

The students of the Duncan High School Band may perform at numerous athletic events, but for them, the band is a sport. It requires a lot of movement, and in some cases, requires the students to move heavy instruments.

At DHS, the students are getting ready for marching season, and they’re putting in what they can to get things underway.

Drum majors, Taylor Neal and Kari Peercy, are helping band director Jeramy Haas keep the students in step.

“I’m excited about it,” Peercy said. “Everyone’s doing really well.”

They said they’re eager about getting marching season underway because they enjoy it. They said marching season is a big reason they joined the band. They enjoy the work that goes into it and the result of that hard work.

Neal said the students this year are continuing to improve, and it won’t be long before the band is ready to perform and compete.

“We’re getting further than we did last year, which is really good,” Neal said.

The band began practicing two weeks before the school year began. In less than three weeks, the band will begin competing in various marching competitions.

Peercy said practicing requires a lot of repetition, but it’s through that repetition the students learn the marches and the music.

Neal said she enjoys being part of the band and getting to perform in front of people.

“When we perform, I can’t help but smile,” Neal said. “We’re as much of a sport as anyone else.”

The two drum majors said there are about 85 to 90 members of the DHS Band. There’s more freshmen than the other grades and a small senior group, but they said there is a good mixture within the band.

With marching season fast approaching, the students said they were happy to see how quickly the band was pulling together. This year, the band members will also be sporting new uniforms.

Haas said he expected the new uniforms to bring the students to a new level of performance. Neal and Peercy said they can’t wait until the marching performances begin.

“I love it,” Neal said. “It’s my favorite part of band. Marching season is what makes a band.”



— Derrick Miller is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 160, or via e-mail at derrick.miller@duncanbanner.com.

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