Norwich hosts 39th Fall Festival of Bands Saturday
NORWICH – Hundreds will file into the Norwich High School football stadium this weekend to cheer on the Purple Tornado Field Band as the group plays host to the 39th annual Fall Festival of the Bands.
The yearly competition gets underway Saturday. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first band takes the field at 6:30. Seven bands will perform their own variations of music and adapted routines, all of them vying for the number one spot of best overall performance. The Purple Tornado Field Band has exhausted more than 150 hours of practice since the latter part of summer, hoping that this year’s routine entitled, “Believe” – inspired by the 2004 film “The Polar Express” – earns them top honors. It will be the group’s final performance before competing at the Syracuse Carrier Dome on Oct. 28.
According to band director Jamie Carrier, now in her second year conducting the Purple Tornado Field Band, this year’s performance is a strong improvement over last year, when they placed second in the small school, division two category just behind Johnson City School during the Fall Festival.
Thus far, the band has proven to be a viable competitor, taking second place after their first competition in Baldwinsville, and second place by only a tenth of one point two weeks ago in Vestal. The group has taken first at competitions at Corning East, Auburn and Mohonasen.
“It’s been a great year,” said senior drum major Tambria Schroeder. Over the weeks, Schroeder’s been leading the band and watching the group improve from the podium that stands on the sidelines. “We’ve been getting better each week. So far, the scores we’ve had are much better than last year,” she said, but she added that even a sense of optimism isn’t enough to calm nerves before they head to the Carrier Dome next weekend.
“This band is doing very well this year,” Carrier acknowledged. “They have a good chance to place higher if they keep up their hard work.”
There’s certainly no loss of diversity in this year’s group either, Carrier noted. Of the 70 members ranging from grades 5-12, 30 percent of the band is still in middle school. There are 15 new members who joined this year and all other members are returning from last year, she added. “We’re probably one of the most inexperienced bands in our class,” she admitted, but it hasn’t detered the optimism of those performing. “They’re all holding their own. The veterans have stepped up and are helping to support us and our new members this year.”
“There are a lot of returning members who want this more than last year,” said high school trumpet player Thomas Whaitney. Whaitney, who also noted the band’s respectable performance this season, said the biggest challenge the band faces this weekend is the pressure of performing in front of the home crowd. “It’s nerve racking,” he said, “but when they clap, it makes us just want to do better.”
Although the fall season is still ongoing, the band is already in the midst of planning a trip to perform in Florida in February.
Pre-sale tickets for Saturday’s Fall Festival of Bands are available for $5 at the Pennysaver / Evening Sun office on Lackawanna Ave., and at the Norwich Family YMCA. Admission is $6 at the gate.
The yearly competition gets underway Saturday. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first band takes the field at 6:30. Seven bands will perform their own variations of music and adapted routines, all of them vying for the number one spot of best overall performance. The Purple Tornado Field Band has exhausted more than 150 hours of practice since the latter part of summer, hoping that this year’s routine entitled, “Believe” – inspired by the 2004 film “The Polar Express” – earns them top honors. It will be the group’s final performance before competing at the Syracuse Carrier Dome on Oct. 28.
According to band director Jamie Carrier, now in her second year conducting the Purple Tornado Field Band, this year’s performance is a strong improvement over last year, when they placed second in the small school, division two category just behind Johnson City School during the Fall Festival.
Thus far, the band has proven to be a viable competitor, taking second place after their first competition in Baldwinsville, and second place by only a tenth of one point two weeks ago in Vestal. The group has taken first at competitions at Corning East, Auburn and Mohonasen.
“It’s been a great year,” said senior drum major Tambria Schroeder. Over the weeks, Schroeder’s been leading the band and watching the group improve from the podium that stands on the sidelines. “We’ve been getting better each week. So far, the scores we’ve had are much better than last year,” she said, but she added that even a sense of optimism isn’t enough to calm nerves before they head to the Carrier Dome next weekend.
“This band is doing very well this year,” Carrier acknowledged. “They have a good chance to place higher if they keep up their hard work.”
There’s certainly no loss of diversity in this year’s group either, Carrier noted. Of the 70 members ranging from grades 5-12, 30 percent of the band is still in middle school. There are 15 new members who joined this year and all other members are returning from last year, she added. “We’re probably one of the most inexperienced bands in our class,” she admitted, but it hasn’t detered the optimism of those performing. “They’re all holding their own. The veterans have stepped up and are helping to support us and our new members this year.”
“There are a lot of returning members who want this more than last year,” said high school trumpet player Thomas Whaitney. Whaitney, who also noted the band’s respectable performance this season, said the biggest challenge the band faces this weekend is the pressure of performing in front of the home crowd. “It’s nerve racking,” he said, “but when they clap, it makes us just want to do better.”
Although the fall season is still ongoing, the band is already in the midst of planning a trip to perform in Florida in February.
Pre-sale tickets for Saturday’s Fall Festival of Bands are available for $5 at the Pennysaver / Evening Sun office on Lackawanna Ave., and at the Norwich Family YMCA. Admission is $6 at the gate.
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