Keeping the Beat in the Heat

Leopard Band Already Hard at Work on New Marching Show

Despite the ever-rising temperatures in Texas, the La Grange HS Mighty Leopard Band has pushed through and begun rehearsing for the upcoming 2023 season. Split up into three weeks, band camp for the ensemble has given every section an opportunity to focus on their specific parts for this year’s show.

The color guard, percussion section and drum majors kicked off camp on the week of July 10 to work on music and choreography for this year’s show. Incoming students attended ‘freshman camp’ July 17 through 19 to learn the music and marching fundamentals necessary to keep up with returning band members. Then, the entire band came together the week of July 24 to begin rehearsing stand tunes and the show as a group.

“I feel like, because of camp, we’re a lot more prepared and motivated, especially the band veterans. In the past, that’s been a problem,” said Jill Newton, head drum major. “But this year, so far, it seems like we’re all striving to achieve more than we might have thought otherwise.”

This year’s show theme is titled “Now You See Me,” an original show written specifically for LGHS to bring out each section’s individual strengths. The show includes music from the “Now You See Me” movie series and melodies from a concert band piece titled “Hymn to the Sun (with the beat of the Mother Earth),” written by Satoshi Yagisawa, a Japanese composer.

In addition to strong music, the band will also have field props to add story-telling details to the show, and band members will perform small sections of choreography in addition to their marching and playing.

“In a way, (this show) is building on the past two years, because when the new directors came in, they gave us a show called ‘A New Direction,’ which symbolized a new start for the band program,” said Jose Estrada, band president. “Last year’s show was called ‘Metamorphosis,’ which symbolized our growth. And now that we’ve finally developed and established who we are, we’re able to showcase our talents.”

Although this year’s show theme wasn’t necessarily picked out for that specific purpose, according to Director Chris Cooper, it definitely has lined up perfectly with the band’s progress over the past three years. This year, they’re looking forward to both Region and Area UIL competitions, and with all the hard work that they’re already putting in, good results are sure to follow.

“All of their growth is definitely adding up,” said Cooper. “We’re starting in a better place this season, which will allow us to have more fun and ultimately give better performances.”