By Lauren Burlingame
The Harrisonville High School Color Guard team began its pre-marching season training last week.
Just as other sports have their preseason training, the marching band and color guard rehearse for the fall season as well.
Color guard camp helps the team develop good habits and to lay a foundation for a successful marching band season.
Coach Amy Wilson said, “Right now, we are working on basic movements. These basic techniques will be incorporated as a foundation for more challenging skills they might use later for choreography.
“Building that foundation of technique now in these basic skills helps them to be more successful because building that muscle memory makes it easier to incorporate it into more challenging work.”
A typical day of guard camp will begin with a jog through the high school, followed by the dance warm-up.
After warm-ups, the team will rehearse different routines with rifles and flags.
Finally, the day’s rehearsal will end with the learning of choreography and cleaning up. As the marching band season progresses, the color guard will have more choreography to learn.
Team members include senior Paige Quinter; juniors, Katie Semler, Amber Taber and Gael Rios; and freshmen Isabelle Clark and Aron Leach.
Like the Color Guard, leading up to band camp, other sections of the Harrisonville Royal Regiment Marching Band will meet and rehearse the music for the fall marching show.
The marching show this year is based on “Carmen,” a French opera written by Georges Bizet that debuted March 3, 1875.
The story follows Don José as he abandons his post in the military and his childhood love after falling in love with beautiful gypsy Carmen. When Carmen falls for another, Don José kills her out of rage.
The opera and its story may seem unremarkable, however its music has stood the test of time. The most remarkable pieces include “Habanera,” and “Les Toreadors.”
Quinter said, “I’m the most excited for performing our show ‘Carmen’ after the year we’ve all had to experience. Though I am grateful for having a season last year, it just was not the same as previous years. This year we will go back to what it has been, a full show, competing, performing at home games and parades and more. This season is going to be great and I’m excited to perform again.”
Band camp for the Harrisonville Royal Regiment Marching Band begins Aug. 2.
The band will be performing Aug. 27 at the first home football game of the school year.