This past week, the Pride of Littleton Marching Band took home a first-place win at the regional tournament, scoring 78.6 points and qualifying for the State Semifinals round.
“It’s certainly looking good right now. All the elements of the show have come together, the students are performing at a very high level. Judges are responding incredibly well to our performance,” said band director Don Emmons.
And indeed, the band’s final score was over twenty points higher than some competitors’.
Sophomore Daphne Vogt, who plays the performance’s opening and closing piano solos, believes that their success isn’t due to the efforts of a single person.
“Everyone plays a big part, in my opinion. I try to encourage my section and every member to do their best.”
Drum major Josie Schell has a different view.
“I don’t do much for the band’s successes,” said the senior. “They’re the ones that do all the work, I just stand at the front to make sure they’re all in tempo.”
In spite of her humble self-assessment, Schell was named by multiple other players as an exceptional asset to the team, demonstrating leadership through every trial and success.
Historically, this band season is Littleton’s most successful, by far.
“Significantly, this is the next level above what we’ve ever done in the past. The scores are higher, the placements are higher, the expectations are stronger,” said Emmons.
For Schell, the final season of her high school band career was exceptional even within the context of her own high school experience.
“In the past, we have not scored this well. In my high school career, we’ve only hit the 74 point mark at the very end of our season, whereas this season, we started with 74 points.”
Students, optimistically, noted that this historic season has the potential to become even greater.
“We hope to have a five in the state and hopefully reach a score of 80,” said Vogt.
The work and dedication of the band has clearly become a fruitful venture. So as they prepare for the State Championships, they’ve put their entire selves into this performance.
“We all want it more, we all want to do better and reach our ceiling,” said Vogt.
The State Championship will take place at the end of this week. Stay tuned for details about the band’s placement.
Video footage of a portion of the band’s performance is available at @lionsroarnow on Instagram.
