By Keola Spencer
Imagine the most important member of your team disappear before everyone’s eyes. The Leilehua Marching Band is known as the innovators of the island. In previous shows, there were many eye-popping visuals and concepts that blew the judges and viewers away. Whether they marched across the field with bats ten feet above their heads or performed with stars scattered around them, they continued to set the bar for themselves and their competitors. Every marching season, the band strives to top themselves from their previous years both creatively and musically. This year, they decided to step completely out of the box. Instead of having a drum major conduct the whole show, he will be invisible and magically reappear in the show stopping spectacle “The Invisible Man.”
Of course, an idea that seems so out of the blue also comes with its challenges. Conceptually speaking, an invisible drum major has never been attempted by any other marching band in the world. The traditional style of marching band shows always have their drum major conduct the entire show. To truly capture the essence of this intense show, the conditioning and fundamental times had to be magnified by a thousand because this may be the most difficult show the band has ever performed.
Drum major, Denny Jay Ganob (12) expresses his thoughts for this year’s production. When asked what makes this show so different from the previous shows he’s been in, he bluntly says everything. The difficulty level of this performance is something he’s never witnessed. “The whole concept of the show is ambiguous. It is an innovative show as well. We have to wonder, how will we transition through songs? And who do we watch? How will we keep time without a drum major?” Although he was a bit disheartened that he wouldn’t be spending his time on the podium, he realized that his part is still just as important as any drum major. “I was looking forward to conducting the [whole] show since I was a junior, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice the invisible concept. It’s not about me, it’s about the band. And it’s fine because I’m conducting for pep band.” While he is “invisible” for the first two movements of the show, he will be performing an English horn solo on the third movement based on the movie “Powder.” The band is pleased to have such an experienced drum major to lead their band to success.
Just this year, the marching band finally reached over 120 members, placing them in the AAA division for the very first time. Although they swept with picture perfect scores last marching season and years before, the game has completely changed with new competitors such as Mililani and Kamehameha high schools. Persistence and tenacity are two major factors that the marching band must obtain to crush their competitors in the dust.
Contribution and effort from every member is essential, just like in any other sport such as football and soccer. After this successful season, it’s a wonder as to what they’ll do next.
Imagine the most important member of your team disappear before everyone’s eyes. The Leilehua Marching Band is known as the innovators of the island. In previous shows, there were many eye-popping visuals and concepts that blew the judges and viewers away. Whether they marched across the field with bats ten feet above their heads or performed with stars scattered around them, they continued to set the bar for themselves and their competitors. Every marching season, the band strives to top themselves from their previous years both creatively and musically. This year, they decided to step completely out of the box. Instead of having a drum major conduct the whole show, he will be invisible and magically reappear in the show stopping spectacle “The Invisible Man.”
Of course, an idea that seems so out of the blue also comes with its challenges. Conceptually speaking, an invisible drum major has never been attempted by any other marching band in the world. The traditional style of marching band shows always have their drum major conduct the entire show. To truly capture the essence of this intense show, the conditioning and fundamental times had to be magnified by a thousand because this may be the most difficult show the band has ever performed.
Drum major, Denny Jay Ganob (12) expresses his thoughts for this year’s production. When asked what makes this show so different from the previous shows he’s been in, he bluntly says everything. The difficulty level of this performance is something he’s never witnessed. “The whole concept of the show is ambiguous. It is an innovative show as well. We have to wonder, how will we transition through songs? And who do we watch? How will we keep time without a drum major?” Although he was a bit disheartened that he wouldn’t be spending his time on the podium, he realized that his part is still just as important as any drum major. “I was looking forward to conducting the [whole] show since I was a junior, but I wouldn’t want to sacrifice the invisible concept. It’s not about me, it’s about the band. And it’s fine because I’m conducting for pep band.” While he is “invisible” for the first two movements of the show, he will be performing an English horn solo on the third movement based on the movie “Powder.” The band is pleased to have such an experienced drum major to lead their band to success.
Just this year, the marching band finally reached over 120 members, placing them in the AAA division for the very first time. Although they swept with picture perfect scores last marching season and years before, the game has completely changed with new competitors such as Mililani and Kamehameha high schools. Persistence and tenacity are two major factors that the marching band must obtain to crush their competitors in the dust.
Contribution and effort from every member is essential, just like in any other sport such as football and soccer. After this successful season, it’s a wonder as to what they’ll do next.