Banding together

Throughout the summer months, the Gunnison High School grounds lie mostly dormant. No sounds echoed down the building’s long hallways, and only the breeze raced over the grassy sports fields. But as August waned, a burst of sound from the band room brought life back to the once-quiet grounds.

On Aug. 8, a stream of students toting woodwind, brass and percussion instruments spilled onto the football field. Energetic conversation merged with random musical riffs, surrounding the group in a dissonant bubble of sound. As each student reached their mark on the field, they fell silent, awaiting the signal to march and play as one.

Every August, the GHS marching band comes together for two weeks of band camp, a time for bonding and musical learning. The first week of “newbie” camp brings middle school students up to speed on marching basics. During week two, they join the rest of their peers to learn the music and marching choreography for their annual show. This second week is the group’s last chance to learn and practice the choreography and music of their show before the mayhem of the school year sets in.

This year, the group will perform a medley of Disney classics, including familiar tunes from “Mary Poppins” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” during halftime at home football games and marching competitions later in the fall.

With just 25 members, the GHS marching band is small compared to many high school bands across the state. When the students travel to competitions, they are sometimes pitted against bands nearly three times their size. This is because competitive brackets are determined by the total enrollment of each school, rather than by band size.

The GHS marching band recruits middle school students to fill out its ranks, creating a group that spans ages 13 to 18. Because they join before starting high school, some students end up staying with the band for up to seven years by the time they graduate.

While larger bands have a bigger presence in terms of decibel output, smaller bands like Gunnison’s enable a more tight-knit connection between students. This camaraderie comes across on the field, where bandmates work closely together to create music as one.

For the middle schoolers and underclassmen, their older peers are a source of inspiration and guidance, said sophomore flute player Gavin Vasquez.

“They really take charge and lead the band,” Vasquez said. “That makes it easier to get to know them.”

By the end of band camp, any pre-existing cliques based on age have dissolved. Students of all ages share memories and inside jokes from the past week, banding together. Those friendships carry over into the school year, transcending the band room. For younger students, their first time wandering the halls of GHS is made easier by the presence of familiar faces.

For upperclassmen, the admiration goes both ways, said senior drummer Rylee Berry.

“Some of these younger kids impress me a lot,” Berry said. “It’s awesome to see so many kids want to participate and perform for other people.”

One theme rings true for many members of the band, regardless of age: music offers a welcome escape from the turbulence of teenage life. Music has the power to amplify every emotion, offering an outlet to feel things deeply and work it all out, Vasquez said. But perhaps the most profound aspect of being in the band is coming together as a whole to create a harmonious sound.

“It feels almost magical,” Vasquez said. “Music is just such a good thing. If there’s more of it in the world, everything would just be a little bit better.”

(Mariel Wiley can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or mariel@gunnisontimes.com.)