On Saturday October 19, 2019, the Lancers spent the day preparing at LRHS for the Wayne Hills High School at the NJMEA State Marching Band Festival.The juniors (and some underclassmen) of the Lancer band took a water break after working hard during a short rehearsal that began at 1:00 p.m. The main things they tackled in those two hours were performance appearance, timing, and sound.

The band lined up for a full run through at the end of rehearsal, complete with marching on and off the field. Logistics, such as directions, are especially important for festivals because every field has a different environment.

Upperclassmen loaded the truck with percussion and props. Some of these items include marimbas, timpani, sousaphones, and of course the 10 foot gates that set the scene for the show. This part of the day is extremely important because most of the cargo is fragile and expensive. Luckily, a trustworthy team has formed over the years to make sure the job gets done safely and efficiently.

The underclassmen, in partial uniform, enjoyed their first Lakeland ziti dinner. This dinner of salad, pasta, and desserts (all donated by generous band parent volunteers) is a Wayne Hills festival tradition that many band members look forward to.

Color guard member, junior Alana Beshaw applied her makeup using a slew of different eyeshadow palettes and eyeliner. This look was created in part by guard advisor Ms. Katherine Telschow with the help of the other girls.

Juniors Emily Wegman and Marisa Nastory, clarinet players, posed in uniform while preparing to pack up their things and head onto the bus. A band member’s uniform consists of the jacket, pants, suspenders, black socks, band shoes, gloves, and of course, shoe clips. Fun fact: clarinet players like Wegman and Nastory (and flute players like the author, junior Emily Rose) are required to cut the fingers off of their gloves in order to hold and play their instruments more easily.

The view from the back of the woodwind bus as the band arrives in the Wayne Hills parking lot. The lot was bustling with other buses, cars, families, and band members marching to and from the performance field. Lakeland travels with four buses: woodwinds, brass, percussion and guard, and a small bus filled with big instruments and a few volunteer band members to keep track of all the equipment. In addition, the truck carries the gates and front ensemble equipment. By now, it was 6:30 p.m., two hours to performance time.

Sophomores Paige Tojeira and Amanda Todd posed in front of the gates as the “field crew” prepared to take the gates down the field for performance time. The crew consists of mostly upperclassmen woodwind players, and their job is to carry the props (gates, carts, pit equipment, etc) on and off the field.

It was now 8:45 p.m. The Lakeland Lancer band took the field in competition on Wayne Hills’ wonderful turf in the chilly evening air. The show went incredibly, with many parents and spectators from other bands saying that it was our best show all season!

The awards ceremony happened after all the bands have performed. The last performance of any festival or competition is from the host band. Wayne Hills’ show was titled “Spellbound,” and it was magical. 

Afterwards, all of the student leaders from each band were invited onto the field as their band is presented with awards. Our student leaders for the night included drum major  and senior Matt Harder, student conductor seniors Renee Smith, drum sergeant and senior Nikki Krzesinski, and color guard co-captain and junior Katelyn McKeever. The Lancer band took home a silver rating and awards for the front ensemble and a rifle toss, which was performed by junior Jacob Eccher in the third movement.