The Blue Darter Marching Band performs during halftime of every official game in the football season and before each home game. This year the name of their show is called Take Me Home, including songs “Magnificent Seven”, “Take Me Home”, and “Hoe Down”. Many factors go into the band and how they run their program.
When thinking about the marching band, you think about them playing songs during the football game. But do they have actual meaning? When asked how he thinks the band impacts the football game, Roddick Jeudi, a senior in the band, answered, “Motivation. That’s really the key thing. Like when we play ‘Swag Surfin’, that’s one we play a lot, you’ll notice the football players start to get more enthusiastic when we start playing it.” If you watch the players while the band is playing a song you can sometimes see them bobbing their heads to the beat of the song. This shows that the players are really engaged with the game and the band.
The Blue and White talked to some of the members of the marching band and asked them how this season feels different than others. Abigail Urena, a junior, answered, “This season feels a bit more organized and there’s a lot more stuff that has us focusing on improving.”Junior Wyatt Licari added, “This year also sees a lot of new stand tunes that further strengthen the BDMB [Blue Darter Marching Band].” This year the band is introducing new stand tunes such as “APK Swag”, “Vice Versa”, “William Tell Overture”, “Dies Irae”, “Hoka Hey”, and “Hurricane”.
A big part of the BDMB is the leadership team that works very hard together to keep the program afloat. In total,
there are 55 students as part of the leadership team. “I think the people in leadership are doing a very good job welcoming and helping new students,” said Colin Plotkin, a freshman in the band. There are many different leadership positions on the leadership team. Like being a drum major, colonel, captain, section leader, drill assistant, or a part of the service team. Senior Roddick Jeudi, a drum major in the marching band explained, “They look to you for almost everything and if you mess it’s on you. Everything you do is placed more on you than anyone else because in a way you’re the head of the band.”
Looking deeper into the BDMB is the culture they hold. There are songs they play that have been passed down and played for many years. Like the “Apopka Fight Song” and “Swag Surfin”. Simple mannerisms and techniques get passed down from player to player because everyone learns from everyone. At the end of every game, the BDMB gets together to sing the school’s Alma Mater. When asked about her favorite part about the BDMB culture Abigail Urena stated, “My favorite thing about the culture with the BDMB is how excited you can be and everyone will just match your energy.” Energy is a big thing in the BDMB. They use most of it to impact the game and the football team.
While football season is going on the marching band has their own season. They don’t just perform during halftime to show off, they have an MPA (Marching Performance Assessment) they perform at and earn scores for. For the past two years, they have gotten superiors, the highest rank. They really topped it off last year with straight superiors. When asking all the interviewees about their predictions for MPA, they all agreed that it should go well if the BDMB stays focused and continues to work hard. As Mr. Langford says, “In Everything Give Your Best!”
