Leonardo Paulino (12)
How did you feel about conducting the competition on Saturday?
“It felt great to finally be conducting at a comp. I was also a lot less nervous than I thought I would be.”
Do you think the band did well?
“I think the band did great on Saturday. It was one of our best runs.”
Which were the worst/best parts?
“I think that we had a really good movement and that set a good tone for the rest of the show. As for the worst part, I think it was the ending of the third movement. The tempo there was not as consistent as it should have been. “
What parts would you improve on for next time?
“What I want to improve on for next time are the tempo changes, especially in the second movement.”
Emily Huang (12)
How did your last first competition go?
“My last first competition went really well! It was such an amazing feeling to get first place and such a high score at our first competition and my last first competition especially. It made me so happy and proud of our work. It also made me realize how much I love band and the reason why competitions and band was such a close thing I held to my heart freshman year, which was something I ended up losing due to quarantine.”
What was your first impression of citrus Valley highschool?
“It was our first time going to Citrus Valley high school and I talked to this with some other seniors and I am glad we went to a completely new high school for our last first competition. It was such a fun experience and so cool to just chill on the bus for two hours. a huge school and the view was so beautiful by the football field! It was literally just mountains and city lights and the sunset was so pretty!”
Did that affect your performance in any way?
“I feel like since it was our first competition ever and none of us were experienced with the field, as well as it being the freshmens’ first time ever being on a new field, it was really hard. I felt unconfident with our performance immediately after we finished and even while we were performing. I forgot what it was like to march at another school and did not mentally or physically prepare myself enough to be honest.”
What was it like being a section leader at a competition?
“To be honest, I did not do any ‘special section leader stuff’ this competition and just enjoyed it being our first competition. I think I prepared my section well enough, but of course, I would always wish I said or did a little more. It is a lot of pressure being a senior and especially a leader when we are outside of school and competing, but I trusted my underclassmen and just relaxed. Overall, it was an amazing experience and one of the happiest moments of my life!”
Rene Pico (11)
What are some new responsibilities you have as the assistant drum major during the comps?
“Some new responsibilities I have as the Assistant Drum Major are managing our band during the award ceremony. I also have to take care of bringing the necessary supplies such as the metronome and the stick of truth.”
What would you be looking forward to as drum major next year?
“I am looking forward to the competitions next year and also the football games. I am excited to wear the black uniform and conduct next year’s show.”
Performance-wise, was there anything you would have done differently?
“Performance-wise, I would have liked to be more comfortable with my drill and clean up a few sets where I struggle a bit.”
What are your expectations for the next competition?
“My expectations for the next competition are to do better than our last one. Ultimately, we are only competing against ourselves and it is up to us whether we are going to improve or not.”
Aurora Hashi (11)
How was your performance at this comp? Did you do better or worse than you expected?
“My performance was relatively good, I still have a lot of work to do. I think I did not do better or worse, I feel I did just an average run that I typically do.”
Any unexpected challenges that you faced at this particular comp?
“One of the unexpected challenges I faced was my marimba arm snapped on the truck, so I had to improvise where I placed my cymbal.”
What are some differences between being in front ensemble versus marching on the field?
”A major, and more obvious difference between pit and the rest of the group is, we do not have to march. We are very technique and musically focused.”
What are some differences you faced between comps last year and this year?
“I think last year’s show was harder musically. Last year’s show also had a huge cultural meaning to a lot of our band, and I believe it was a lot more impactful. I loved the show design as well, it was just an overall great show!”
Harmony Ho (10)
How did you do at your first competition of the season?
“I think I did pretty good! The size of Citrus Valley’s field messed me up a bit in the beginning but then I envisioned that I was on our field and it helped!”
Do you think you did better this year or last year?
“I honestly think I did better this year. Since last year I was a freshman and new to marching. One time I went back to go watch our first-ever run from last year and I cringed so hard.”
What are some new things you learned this year?
“One thing that I learned this year is that confidence and positivity are key to having a good run or show. I feel like you are bound to make more mistakes if you lack confidence and positivity in what you’re doing.”
What will you try to improve on the next comp?
“In the next competition, I plan on trying to make the visuals cleaner and make the lines straighter in the 3rd movement.”
Lyon Shan (9)
How was your first competition? What is what you expected?
“My first performance was okay. I did not do that bad. It was pretty expected since I was in a new field and it was a long day.”
What is something you are looking forward to for the next competition?
“Something I look forward to in the next competition is all the snacks and just overall performing!”
What is something that you are not looking forward to?
“Something I am not looking forward to is changing out of uniforms on the bus.”
How confident are you in your next performance? Why?
“I’m pretty confident in my next performance because after once I have a better understanding of what is going to happen. But either way, I am going to try my best.”
Jacob Li (9)
How was your first competition? What is what you expected?
“My first competition was fun and enjoyable. It wasn’t what I expected as I expected it to be a lot more tiring.”
What was the most surprising part of your first comp?
“The most surprising part was the school we performed at. It was very clean and looked very different compared to Wilson, everything—besides their football field—looked so new and modern.”
What are the best parts of the comp?
“Obviously, the best part of the competition was winning first in our division.”
What are the worst parts of the competition?
“The worst part was probably having to change in the buses because it was very cramped and smelled terrible from all the sweat.”
