Soaring to First Place!

Pottsgrove High School’s Marching Band has once again gone above and beyond with four competition weekend wins in a row! This 2021 marching band season, the Pottsgrove Marching Falcons have been competing in the Cavalcade of Bands Competition. According to the Cavalcade of Bands website, “Cavalcade of Bands is a non-profit organization composed of over one hundred member schools coming together to compete on the interscholastic level. We provide competitive opportunities with marching band competitions in the fall and non-competitive jazz band activities throughout the winter and spring”. There are five different classification levels within the competition based upon band size (order is listed smallest to largest): Independence, American, Liberty, Yankee, and Patriot. Pottsgrove Marching Falcons are one of the largest bands within the smallest division, ‘Independence A’. This marching season, the Falcons have soared to the top of their division, winning each competition they’ve entered in! 

The Marching Falcon’s first three 2021 season competitions on September 18, at Spring-Ford High School, September 25, at Boyertown High School, and October 2, at Warwick High School all held thrilling wins! When asked how it felt to win three competitions in a row, Hannah Marsteller stated, “It felt like everything finally fell into place. We began to see the results from all of our hard work and it’s overwhelming and exciting”. According to the majority of the band, each competition can be nerve-racking while waiting to perform. When each band arrives at a competition venue, they rehearse in surrounding lots, then wait patiently and anxiously to march next. However, the excitement that runs through the band is highly apparent by their ear-to-ear smiles once they walk on and off the field. Pottsgrove’s Marching Band has a few top competitors/ rivals this season, including  Ridley, Upper Dublin, and Avengrove. What may surprise people is that, unlike some sports teams, the different bands get along very well and are highly supportive of each other! As a member of the marching band, I can say that it is an ecstatic feeling when all of the bands begin to cheer us on when we have won. Each competition is one to remember! 

The band’s most recent competition at Unionville High School on October 16, 2021, held a different setup than most other competitions. Normally, competitions are held outdoors on the football field, with performances containing musical renditions of known songs that are matched with marching movements. However, at the Unionville High School competition, rainy weather conditions altered schedule times and performance locations. Performance times were pushed back by an hour and bands instead performed on stage in an auditorium rather than on a field. Due to just performing on the stage, band members in the Independence division were only judged on music. Therefore, judges became specific on dynamics, tone, articulation, and further musical techniques used. Senior band member, Abdel Matias-Rivera, stated: “The competition day was wet, hot, and yet cold. But we were still together, played together, and won together”. That’s correct! Although hectic, with quick changes, moved locations, and specific judging, Pottsgrove Marching Falcons could be seen flying to first place yet again! With only two competitions left in the season, it is beyond exciting to see how the band will improve. I’m sure all of the community can agree that we wish the band luck and hope they soar to the top with wide smiles once again!