By Harry Leung
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 marching band season has been cancelled, Marching Band Director Moises Fagundes said in a Zoom interview. Performances the band normally does at football games and regional competitions will not take place, Fagundes added.
The marching band usually conducts practices during the summer, Fagundes said. Although it was not possible to hold band camp, the marching band’s summer training session, this year, rehearsals were still held over the summer, similar to how some sports held their practices, Fagundes confirmed. Band students practiced together in cohorts of twelve people, he added.
According to Fagundes, the MHS Music Department is still unsure of how to proceed with the marching band in the spring semester. “What I’m hoping is with possibly the football games, we can have some sort of a smaller group, kind of like a pep band, and do something with that if allowed,” Fagundes said.
Although the marching band as a whole is unable to do much together at the moment, individual players are continuing to practice and showcase their talent, Fagundes said. The competition circuit that the MHS marching band competes in, the Western Band Association, opened a virtual honor band, Fagundes added. Three MHS percussionists were selected for this virtual honor band through an audition process, Fagundes continued.
The marching band leadership team is holding events to get and keep band members engaged, senior and Flute Section Leader Lydia Wang said. Each section of instruments holds practices together in-person, while following social distance guidelines, to help students become more proficient at their instruments and build connections at the same time, Wang continued. Band spirit days are also being conducted online by the MHS Music Department, including activities such as dressing up with certain music-related themes, Wang said. As for now, the marching band hopes to continue to keep their spirit and prepare as much as possible for next season, Wang said.
Senior Daniel Ly, one of the marching band’s drum majors, elaborated on these events. Ly mentioned that while the marching band is not doing any performances at the moment, the school’s music program has performances scattered among its different groups, such as the string orchestra and the choir.
Since the band will not be able to perform the show planned for this year due to the pandemic, they will be performing the same show next year, according to Fagundes. Fagundes also expressed hope to get the show on the field sooner than later, though that remains next year’s goal for now.