You know it’s time for the Mahomet-Seymour school doors to open when you can hear brass instruments and percussion throughout the Mahomet valley.
The 210 students who are part of the Mahomet-Seymour High School marching band kicked off the 2017 marching band season with band camp July 31 through August 5. Until school starts on August 18, the students practice twice a week.
Band Director Michael Stevens met with his staff including Band Teacher Phil Meyer, percussion and color guard last spring to discuss the possibility of performing songs from Zorro this fall.
Chalk full of songs for Zorro, Stevens said this performance isn’t something spectators will get tired of seeing multiple times this summer.
“The kids seem to like it,” he said. “There’s some tunes we pick and by the third time, you’re kind of like, “okay, I’m kind of sick of that.” I don’t think we will have that problem with this music. It’s very entertaining, energetic and it has a lot of passion to it.”
Stevens also enlisted choreography help from former MSHS band member Alex Marcusiu to bring the performance to the next level. Marcusiu performed with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps last year.
“My strengths don’t lie in the movement aspect that is really big in marching band,” Stevens said. “It’s not my strength, it never was. In past year, Mr. Meyer and I came up with stuff on our own, basic, never at a level where we could be competitive at the level we are performing.”
But Stevens said Marcusiu is adding that choreography element into this year’s Zorro performance.
“It’s a lot more creative and visual than either of us could have ever done. I think the whole scheme of things is really going to make our performance pop.”
And while Stevens has always allowed upperclassmen to take leadership roles as section leaders, he has also given them extra responsibility this season.
“We’ve got 15 minutes. What is the most pressing issue your group needs to work on right now? Go work on it.”
“What I found was that I didn’t have any section not get done as much as I’d like,” Stevens said.
Stevens believes that is because the freshmen class was focused and did what they were asked, but also because the leaders have made connections with their groups.
“I’m looking for someone who has a servant’s heart, but has the type of personality that can lead by example and can lead with a motivating word,” Stevens said of his section leader interview process.
But for Stevens and Meyer it all comes back to the students enjoying what they are doing throughout the fall months.
“My goal every year is to lead the students in a way that they feel proud of what they are doing,” Stevens said. “I could care less about trophies. We have a lot of them. My big thing is, where do we start? Where did we finish? Did we grow? Are the kids proud of what they did?”
“I think the kids understand, too, if we go somewhere and don’t give our best effort, then we have to find a way the next week to improve that.”
“To win an award, it’s great; it’s icing on the cake.”
Aside from performances at Mahomet-Seymour home football games, the Mahomet-Seymour marching band will perform at Eastern Illinois University on September 30, Lincoln Way on October 7, Downers Grove on October 14 and at Bands of America in Indianapolis on October 28.
