The 2005 edition of the Branson Pirate Pride Marching Band “clocked” in for the 2005 season with its first concert of the year, a new band director, a new assistant band director, a newly married assistant band director, and a new and exciting competitive challenge. Held at the main gym in the
In introductory remarks prior to the concert, Nathan Spurling, the bands new director, pointed out that this was the first year they had brought the hornline into the camp. Spurling said that by adding the hornline to the camp, “We were able to have the entire band playing through the show at the end of the week where as in past years that did not take place until mid-July.” He also pointed out that the combined camp gave the color guard an opportunity to do their routine with the band and that “the hornline students can take music home and memorize it before we begin learning drill at our August camp.”
For the 2005 season the band will be performing “Clocks” by John Meehan. In selecting this show to perform Spurling said that the most important consideration was that the design team “wanted something with musical substance that would allow all of the students to improve as we worked on this show.” He also pointed out that the team believed that this music lends itself “to exciting visual enhancement,” highlights each section of the band, and is a concept “that students, parents, and audiences would enjoy.”
Each of the three movements in the show is based on a different type of clock. Spurling said, “The first movement, ‘Wind-Up’, begins with percussion sounds that layer into a woodwind flurry of notes and colors, creating a musical picture of winding up a large clock.” The second movement, “Pendulum”, is described as “A slow piece that uses a constant ostinato pattern to give the musical depiction of a large pendulum swaying from side to side.” African djembe drums provide the transition into the fast paced third movement entitled “Kinetic,” an audio depiction of a very precise electronic clock that “creates several opportunities for visual excitement.”
At the concert Spurling introduced Jeff Moorman as an Assistant Director of Bands in Branson. With the newly married Assistant Director of Bands, Erika O’Bryant, formerly Erika Fenley, this brings the full time Branson band staff back to three full time positions. The staff works with the over 600 kids involved with the Branson band program from the elementary through high school grade levels.
Spurling stressed that the goal of the band program and its measurement of success both relate to the individual band student. “Our primary goal is to challenge every student, and to have every student perform at a level they didn’t know that they could reach.” The program is successful he continued, “As long as our students come off of the field after every rehearsal and performance saying two things… 1) ‘That’s the best I could do’ and 2) ‘That was better than the last time I performed.'”
Spurling pointed out that the constantly growing size of the band, around 165 this year, creates new challenges relating to organization, communication at all levels, and funding, for instruments, equipment and summer staff. In terms of competitive challenges the Bands of America Super Regional in
