When thinking of the fall season in New England, pumpkin spice, apple cider, and football may come to mind, followed by scenes of picturesque towns that transcend into a backdrop of vibrant foliage. The fall season is a nostalgic treat that New Englanders have waited for all year.
For those that live in Dartmouth, the marching band is also something synonymous with fall. In fact, since late July, community members may recall hearing the rhythmic clicking of a metronome and the drone of the music that follows as band members put in endless hours of practice, working to learn the year’s fall field show.
Eventually, all of this work culminated into the marching band’s first performance: the halftime show during the opening home football game on September 13. This year’s production is entitled “Celestial,” and as the name suggests, it includes astronomical elements. However, rather than focusing on the conventional ideas of space such as the planets, the show focuses on the idea of your individual place in the universe and the connectivity within the universe. This is evident as the performers move through scattered arc shapes that unite at various points into circles.
Representing the galaxy is an array of stars that are positioned in the backfield. In addition to stars, there is a large circular prop at the center of the field which looks reminiscent of a planet or a moon, which saxophone soloist senior Carlos Jeronamo and trumpet soloist senior Tyler Ferreria use as a platform to spotlight their musical talent. The show includes music from both “Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven and “Clair de lune” by Claude Debussy.
The drill is written by director of music and marching band director Ian Flint, as well as director of percussion and co-marching band director Thomas Aungst. The drill itself is what puts each of the 75 performers on the field in a particular place at a given time. This is based on a series of coordinate planes broken down into what is called sets.
In addition to Flint and Aungst, a variety of visual and music staff work with the band. The color guard is directed by Addison Kaeterle and also has various other staff members who assist in instruction. Additionally, junior Aerro Gove serves as the drum major.
If you attend a home football game, you may notice that the marching band wears a Dartmouth-themed uniform, which is reminiscent of the many iterations that the marching band has worn over the years. However, this is not what the marching band wears for competition. During a show, the band wears specifically themed uniforms that coordinate with the overall design. This year, the uniforms are purple with galaxy designs on the jacket.
The marching band kicked off their season with a show at a USBands show hosted by Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, where they took first place with a score of 81.9 in Division Four. Bands are scored based on the categories of music, visual, and overall effect. The score from these three categories average together to make up the total score. Divisions are decided based on the size of the band. The smallest bands are in Division One, and the largest bands are in Division Five all other bands fall in between these.
Over the course of the season, the marching band will compete at several local shows throughout Massachusetts, including on October 19, when they’ll host their annual home show at Dartmouth Memorial Stadium.
One new addition to the list of competitions for the marching band this year is a show at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This competition, called the New England Invitational, featured 21 bands from across Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst performed in exhibition to cap the event.
Finally, competition season will conclude with USBands Open Class National Championships at Metlife stadium in east Rutherford New Jersey. This year the band looks to defend an eight-year winning streak at the nationals competition.
Noah Veloso • Oct 7, 2024 at 11:51 am
🥁🎺