The UC High Marching Band finished out their season with a first place win at the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Championships, receiving gold medals at Warren High School in Downey, California.

   According to the SCSBOA official website, the UC High Marching Band ended with a score of 88.0, with second place winner Canyon High receiving an 84.3 and Patriot High receiving an 82.8. The UC High Color Guard was awarded “High Auxiliary,” which means they had the highest individual score of all of the day (scsboa.org).

    “Right when the band for second place got called, we knew that we came in first place, it was unbelievable. We knew that all of our hard work paid off. A lot of tears definitely came out,” said Senior Maya Poblete.

   “It took a lot of rehearsals and tedious hours, but all of the students really pushed through to improve in order for us to get to the top,” said Poblete. “We really wanted to end the season strong, but it’s also sad for the seniors, because it’s our last season,” she added.

   Before Championships, Senior Timothy Lehmann said, “We’ve got a pretty good shot at getting first this year as long as we continue to work hard. I really want to win. We’ve gotten second the last two years by a point; half a point; maybe two points; very close.” 

  Senior Julianne Hom commented, “It was really exciting. We were in the top for our grid. But at the same time, it was also kind of sad, because all of this momentum was coming to an end.” 

   Hom added, “We’re a really tight-knit community, spending a long time together after school has really helped us get to know each other really well. We all motivate each other and make sure everyone is prepared. We also spend time in school with our band director, making sure that we are on the right track.”

   “I think a good thing about our group is that we are really confident in our abilities, so not many people get nervous or shut down before we perform,” said Poblete. 

   “We are all like a big family. There isn’t much tension between people, and being close and cohesive as a group helps boost our scores,” Poblete added.

   “We did very well visually, but what we are really focused on is music and making sure we are the best we can be. We are also focused on making sure that we are all blowing air at the same time, so that we, a 2A band, can sound like a 6A band,” said Lehmann. Bands are classified based on their sizes, with Division 1A being the smallest and 6A being the largest.

   “I’d say motivation has a really important impact. It gives that extra kick to push forward, because after school everyone is tired, but having that little bit of positivity helps people realize that they can push through,” said Hom.

   Poblete said, “We focused on staying where we were [in the ranks] and making sure that we didn’t drop. Everything that plays into that is our visual performance, musical performance, and making sure that nobody feels left out.”

  “To prepare, we did have a two-week band camp before school started, and that was about 11 hours of practice a day. We also hired some visual techs to help us with choreography,” said Hom.

   Lehmann said, “It’s kind of sad because never again will I be performing a half-time show at a football game, and never again will I march a field show.”