SHS band plans ‘Incredibles’ show

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The 2022 marching season starts this weekend, and it will be an “Incredibles” one for the Seward High band.

The Marching Bluejays will perform music from the soundtrack to “The Incredibles,” composed for the 2004 movie by Michael Giacchino.

Seniors Rachel Runyan, Eli Adams and Emma Lowther are this year’s drum majors. This is their first year in that role, and Runyan and Adams are excited about the show. Lowther was not available the day of the interview.

“There are several challenges,” Adams said. “The music is challenging and the movements are challenging. We’ve put in a lot of hours, and the results are paying off.”

He said the band is looking forward to the competition season.

Runyan said different time signatures make marching to the music hard. Most marching songs are in 2/4 or 4/4 time, which means either two or four counts to a measure. “The Incredibles” has some 5/4 places.

The show includes several soloists – two trumpets, a mellophone and a saxophone, Adams said.

“They bring their all,” he said.

Both are familiar with the animated film about a family of superheroes who have to come out of retirement to save the world. They know what’s going on on screen at different points of the marching show.

The SHS band starts rehearsal every day at 7:45 a.m. and goes until about 9 a.m. They spend the time learning and polishing the drill, or the movements and formations, as well as the music.

Summer camp introduced them to the show, although they started on the music at the end of last school year, Adams said.

After getting everyone awakened, Runyan said the band reviews the sets it learned the previous day and adds to them.

The two drum majors listen for different things as they lead the band, they said. Neither has played a melody instrument (Adams plays trombone and Runyan is a percussionist), so that’s been a new challenge for them.

“As a percussionist, I listen to the pits and drumline,” Runyan said, adding that she tries to teach them to perform as she was taught.

“I listen to the low instruments,” Adams said. “You have to have a strong bass.”

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Having a strong bass line is tougher this year because numbers in those instruments are down, he said.

Both said they like the second song.

“It’s more jazzy,” Adams said, adding that it goes from a swing feel to a more intense, rigid style.

“The final is in-your-face,” Runyan said. “It’s a sudden and dramatic change in style.”

Runyan said she looks forward to the crescendoes and build-ups throughout the show.

“Mrs. Kenney (band director) knows the band is doing well if the drum majors smile,” Runyan said.

This year’s band has a lot of new musicians, they said, and that has been good. It’s also a challenge, however, because they’re not as familiar with marching and how it works.

“We try to get their best foot forward,” they said. “We have to teach them to push themselves.”

With days left before their first competition, both drum majors said there were places to polish in the show, both in the drill and in the music.

Both Runyan and Adams said they hope to continue with music as they leave high school in the spring.

“I love to do music,” Adams said, pointing to four band classes on his schedule this semester.

“Band has been a huge part of my life,” Runyan said. “I’ve been doing music as long as I can remember.”