“Use your eyes,” exclaims Mark de la Vega, in a tone that could be directed towards a soccer training, a tennis practice or a football drill.
Instead, de la Vega is addressing San Marino High School’s Marching Band on a warm, sunny August morning.
It’s called ‘zero period,’ the instructional time slot that begins at 7 a.m. and ends when the vast majority of students are arriving.
“Keep the energy up, keep the focus here,” says de la Vega, as the group resets following a 20-second segment of what will eventually be the marching band’s halftime show.
“This is inexcusable. Stay covered. Nose to spine.”
Most understand the need for drilling and repetition in the sports world, but few understand the similar environment that surrounds a marching band.
“We’re not driving that.”
The sound of the metronome is the band’s constant companion. It ticks out an incessant pulse that is the heartbeat of the operation. Before they had assembled on the field as a group, the group had been divided into six subsets – all rehearsing to the steady clicking rhythm of the device.
“The metronome is like scaffolding,” de la Vega explains. “It provides a structure we use to build and then it should stand on its own when we take it away.”
“Your step size needs to be bigger.”
In his second year at SMHS, de la Vega is fully aware of the similarities between a musical director and coach of an athletic team.
“At my old school, we used to joke that the band director could coach the football team and the football coach could lead the band,” de la Vega told me this past spring after an orchestra rehearsal. “The two are very similar in that you have to bring together several parts of the unit that are sometimes very different.”
Toss in a color guard and you have another element altogether.
“We shouldn’t have to make that big of a correction.”
De la Vega sits on the grandstand at the fifty-yard line and is in constant contact with Drum Major Josh Chang, who stands atop a riser behind the benches on the home sideline. It’s Josh who provides direction to the group. Each time the cadence starts, the metronome kicks in and all join together in a steady rhythm.
“Thank you for the hustle, low brass!”
The 2016 band season began less than a month after 2015’s ended. Last year, the Titans earned 1st place awards at the Los Altos Field Tournament, the Golden State Field Classic and the Rowland Field Tournament.
San Marino qualified for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association finals and ended up in 11th place – exceptional by all standards.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t happen on its own. De la Vega and his team began their journey in January.
“We had to figure out a lot of things,” he explained. “What kind of music do we want to play? What theme? It was great seeing the rest of the staff excited. Then we had get the rights to the show and buy it.”
Much like drama productions, band shows require the purchase of copyrights. De la Vega and his team eventually decided on ‘Shine,’ a percussion-heavy, lyrical selection that encourages the listener to use their talents and skills to brighten the world.
The team must then go through the painstaking process of laying out the steps for each of San Marino High School’s 102 ensemble members. Much like its athletic counterparts, the band leaders must look at which musicians and performers are coming back from the previous year’s band and who might be coming up from the middle school.
“Color guard! You should be six steps in front of the front hash and half a step outside.”
“If we lose a couple kids we have to relearn everything,” de la Vega says with a tone of voice which lets you know he has had to endure this task in the past.
Much like an athletic pursuit, the band practices the routine in smaller segments. A 16-count snippet is quickly repeated, the musicians running from their ending point back to their starting place.
It’s not until practice is over and the band members assemble for a quick briefing that it becomes apparent that the entire ensemble is perspiring. Profusely.
“It’s a lot of work,” de la Vega says casually. “There have been studies done and the average member of a marching band has the oxygen consumption of a marathon runner and the heart rate of an athlete participating in the 400-meter dash. They have to perform for 10 constant minutes and they are not allowed to breathe when they want to. I tell them when they can breathe. I always tell them they have to earn their PE credit.”
“Good work! Can we ‘control s’ this for tonight?”
Due to the load of learning music for ‘Shine” and a scheduling conflict at Titan Stadium the night before the game, de la Vega had the marching band not march for San Marino High School’s opener on Friday, Sept. 26, and instead, had them perform in a fixed formation. The next week’s zero periods are dedicated to the marching element and resemble the fine tuning that takes place at a football practice.
The similarities are even more apparent on game day. Inside Titan Stadium, the football team is separated into their different specialties; kickers and punters in one area of the field; quarterbacks and receivers in another and linemen assembled in yet another as head Coach Mike Hobbie makes random checks on all.
A hundred yards away, the woodwinds and brass rehearse in one area while the different segments of percussion spread out across the east side of the campus. De la Vega strolls among the group, head down, listening intently to the sound produced by each instrument. And like the football team, the band will assemble for a quick rehearsal before marching onto the track to perform the National Anthem.
Back in the grandstand for the actual game, Josh occasionally calls for a song during a break in the action. Five minutes before halftime, the band assembles in the far eastern boundary of the stadium for another quick rehearsal, then the halftime show. The group is full of smiling faces when they return to the stadium.
Later, de la Vega says he is “extremely pleased” with the band’s performance.
“I think it showed a lot of progress and reflected the group’s work ethic,” said de la Vega.
“We are progressing very well. There is something to be said for experience. Our band is in a place where there is a lot of stability.”
After the game – a tough loss to Dominguez High School, the Dons dominating the third and fourth quarters after a 21-21 tie at halftime – Hobbie addresses the Titans in the end zone. It’s a similar assignment for the band as de la Vega meets them in the Neher Auditorium to go assess the evening’s performance.
Both Hobbie and de la Vega will later study film in an effort to analyze their efforts and find ways to improve the product.
“Everyone matters,” de la Vega says of the band. “I know it sounds trite, but it’s also true. All it takes is community. For everyone to be committed to the ensemble.”
It’s a sense of family that isn’t lost on the performers.
“Other than playing music, I love bonding with my marching band family,” said Catherine Lichtman, a sophomore, who plays the vibraphone, synthesizer, marimba, xylophone, bells and other auxiliary instruments. “It’s a lot of fun making new friends every year and being able to spend so much time learning and growing with them.”
Junior Ethan Lai agrees.
“I really enjoy the atmosphere, the close bonds that are knit from all the hours we spend together,” said Ethan, who plays tenor drums. “It creates a vibe that really makes me feel good. And after we perform an awesome show, the smiles and all the hype from the run makes the experience that much better.”
Junior Kris Crowell performs in the same drum ensemble as Ethan and he shares a similar view of the group.
“I like the family atmosphere band has,” said Kris. “At our events, its always fun to hang out with other people and sections and it is really satisfying to see other people doing the same. I think that because we all work so hard at practice, we are brought closer and are more motivated to work hard not only for the show, but for each other.”
Sophomore Stella Yao plays the piccolo.
“Fun fact of the day,” Stella says. “The entire piccolo weighs less than the mouthpiece for a sousaphone.”
We are tempted to stop there, but Stella has more to add.
“I love the fact that everyone must contribute and give 110% in order to truly make this band great,” she said. “As [de la Vega] says, it only takes one person to ruin an ensemble, idea, or a phrase. This way, no one is left out and no one person does more than the next. In addition, band teaches us about leadership and working together and not to be cliché, it’s like a second family.”
“What I really like about band is how close it is and that I get the chance to build friendships with people outside of my grade,” added junior Jocelyn Gee, who plays the saxophone.
It’s important to add that none of those quoted above heard the other, yet each included a reference to “family,” a common vibe that is apparent from the first moment in their presence.
Maybe one parent, standing off in the distance while watching a recent practice, summed it up best.
“This is the hardest working group in the school,” he said, not interested in identifying himself or even confirming his comment was even heard.
