On October 22, the Selma High Black Bear Brigade won first place in all categories in their competition class at the 24th annual Sierra Cup Classic. Their show is titled “Sea of Deception.”
The Black Bear Brigade closed off the Selma Band Review Field Show competition on October 29 and will be making the trip down south to compete in WBA championships in Ontario on November 19.
“The show is about a group of sailors going on a voyage on the sea and getting lured by a group of sirens,” Javier Gutierrez, a senior and the band’s horn sergeant, said about their show.
The band was not able to advance past the preliminary round to the final round as only a select few would be allowed in, but the band was happy with their performance at Fresno State, the location of the competition.
“It was really good. It felt awesome performing in that big stadium and getting first in all categories,” Gutierrez said about their performance.
Many in the program feel the band is much more energized than in years past.
“Most of the kids are more excited this year to learn and actually put on a show while being proud of it. In previous years, they were just doing it because they had to do it. This year, many of the kids are there because they want to be there and it has really shown in not just rehearsals but competitions,” front ensemble section leader, and senior, Primavera Vargas said about the season.
Rehearsals are frequent for the Black Bear Brigade. From 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., they rehearse on Saturdays with breaks for lunch and dinner, and the band has a special seventh period from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on school days. Every Tuesday, they rehearse at night from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., yet they end up leaving after nine as pushing equipment back to the band room takes a lot of time.
Despite the hard work that the band puts in, many feel that all of it is worth it for the ultimate goal of performing in front of an audience.
“The thing that excites me the most about band is being able to showcase to other people, here and outside the valley, how hard we worked and our final show that came out of that hard work,” Vargas said.