Band achieves perfection in marching season

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Five competitions.

Five superior ratings.

Perfection.

The Seward High marching band finished its 2021 season with a perfect record, earning superior ratings in all five of its competitions.

“It was a really good season,” Amanda Kenney said.

Kenney is the SHS band director. This year’s show was called Matchpoint and composed by Ayatey Shabazz, who hails from Biloxi, Mississippi.

Seward competed in the Columbus Marching Invitational (parade and field) Sept. 25, Harvest of Harmony (parade and field) Oct. 2, Bennington (field) Oct. 9, LPS Invitational (field) Oct. 16 and Nebraska State Bandmasters Association (field) Oct. 23.

Drum majors Drew Kratochvil, Collin Warren and Joshua Jurchen were the student leaders of the band. All three are seniors this year.

Matchpoint is divided into three sections. The first is upbeat and keeps the audience interested, Kratochvil said. The second is a ballad that features a solo and a trumpet trio, and the third is a fun, energetic finale.

Warren said the third section had the most energy.

“At LPS, when we hit that crescendo, my jaw dropped,” he said.

Jurchen described the 2021 season as a rebuilding year for the band.

“People worked hard and you could tell,” Kratochvil said. “It was a very good group. It’s more than band. It’s family.”

Kenney said the students wanted to put in the work and create a good show.

Warren said it was fun to watch the band grow throughout the season.

“We worked well as a group,” he said.

Kenney said she chose Matchpoint because it was different.

“It sounds like pep band but it’s not a pop song,” she said, adding that she liked the energy of the music. “I thought it would suit us well.”

As first-year drum majors, Warren and Kratochvil looked to Jurchen for leadership.

“We improved our part and that helped the band improve,” Warren said.

“He (Jurchen) did a good job helping us out and we rose to the same level,” Kratochvil said.

Jurchen served as a drum major as a junior, as well.

The band has a hierarchy of leadership, with Kenney leading the way. The drum majors lead the full band, with section leaders taking charge of each instrumental section.

Kenney said it was nice to see the student leaders willing to take on responsibility for the band.

“We emphasize servant leadership,” she said. “They do what’s asked. The whole team embodies it.”

Kratochvil said there were some rough patches as the band learned the music and drill (show formations), but the group pushed through and was rewarded with high marks.

“Everyone buckled down and accepted responsibility,” she said.

“Some struggled, but for the most part we powered through,” Jurchen said. “And we came out on top.”

One of the challenges this year was picking up where the band left off two years ago. Last year’s season was canceled because of Covid-19. That meant that this year’s sophomores hadn’t competed yet. Nor had the freshmen.

That meant about half the band was new to marching competitions, the drum majors said.

Jurchen said the juniors and seniors stepped into the leadership positions and helped the sophomores and freshmen reach the competitive high school level.

Warren said the music in this year’s show was a little easier than in past years, but the drill was more complex.

In this year’s show, Kenney said, there were very few times the musicians were not moving.

“With marching, you learn the show quick and then keep practicing and cleaning it up,” Jurchen said.

He said he was able to give a pep talk to the band before the final two competitions.

“It felt good when I was done,” he said with a smile. “I felt like I made an impact on people. My goal was to inspire others to get the role, pass the torch.”

All three hope to participate in music when they get to college. Jurchen plays trombone, Warren clarinet and Kratochvil baritone and tenor saxophone.

Warren said his favorite part of the season was celebrating the band’s success.

“I’m thankful I got to be part of this,” he said.

Kratochvil played in the band for three years and was excited to be a drum major this year.

“It’s been an amazing learning experience,” she said. “I’ve grown so much.”