Marching orders: Camp molds musicians into synchronized group

The morning sun glints off the brass instruments of the Glacier High School marching band as students stride front to back and left to right.

In their quest to be the best, they dutifully follow white lines spray-painted on the lawn outside the band room that mimic the lines on a football field.

Under the bright sun, band members take a few moments between drills, wiping sweat from their faces before lifting their instruments once again into play position.

Welcome to Day Three of a four-day camp, where days begin at 8 a.m. and go until about 5:30 p.m.

Band camp requires students to bring just four things: a water bottle, sunscreen, their instrument and a positive attitude.

Although the marching season is short — one month during football season — members have dedicated this part of their summer vacation to learn how to compose their feet, hands, upper bodies and instruments into a seamless march of an estimated 120 people, instructor David Barr said.

“We take 10-minute breaks here and there, but all day we’re pretty much doing something,” Barr said. “We’re learning the fundamentals now. When school starts, we’ll learn a half-time show.”

Before marching, band members completed a fast-paced warm-up with stretches and arm exercises. Warm-up is particularly important for students carrying heavy instruments such as the multitenor drum sets, which can weigh more than 45 pounds.

After students finish their first drill, Barr yells out more marching commands: “Forward eight, front slide right eight, forward eight, backslide left eight.”

The band marches, shouting the step count in unison, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, halt,” before changing direction.

“We do eight steps to five yards with an adjustment step,” Barr said.

When they move backward, only their toes touch the ground to prevent the upper body from bouncing.

“The upper body has to be still because if you’re bouncing around then your instrument is bouncing around [making it difficult to play]. It also looks a lot better,” Barr said.

If any mistakes are made, students drop to the ground and do push-ups between drills. Barr is not exempt from this rule and is goaded by students to do push-ups after faltering over a drill command.

There are 70 students out on the field, and to get them lined up evenly, senior drum major McKenzie McQuirk, 17, checks spacing between each person in the front line and each successive row lines up with the person in front of them.

McQuirk’s role as a senior drum major is conducting the band from a podium during half-time performances and leading them during parades.

“We’re still getting the freshmen used to marching with their instruments,” McQuirk said.

Because she is graduating this year, McQuirk is training her successor, 16-year-old Breana Franke.

“It’s fairly straightforward. There are time signatures you conduct, and they tell them [the band] the range of beats,” McQuirk said.

The final drill is a marching game to see who can keep up with fast-paced drills. Members are soon whittled down to two survivors — a senior and a freshman. After several continuous drills, the freshman wins.

 “It’s always more fun when it’s a game,” Barr said.

After the game, Barr has the students sit down and listen to what he calls “senior bios,” a chance for upper classmen to share their experiences.

Trumpet player Tyler Newton, 17, has played the instrument since fifth grade. He said learning how to march and play an instrument is not so easy.

“It definitely took time to learn how to do that. It takes a lot of coordination,” Newton said.

The Glacier High School marching band will perform at three home game half-time shows and parades. Their first performance will be in the Northwest Montana Fair parade at 10 a.m. Friday in downtown Kalispell.