As summer arrives, the Athens Drive spring/winter marching season will end. This season was full of excitement, experience, and unforgettable memories. Soon the summer/autumn marching band season will start along with new grand adventures up ahead. The students involved see this as a loving environment where all are welcomed. No one should be afraid of looking into joining; the band members are always looking for new members. 

The spring/winter marching band finished their season off with a showcase performance in the Jaguar Stadium April 16. The weather was said to be perfect for family and friends to enjoy the show and all the hard work the team had put in. 

“It was so rewarding to realize that we achieved our goal of creating a quality artistic product in these difficult times,” said Jerome Markoch, band director at Athens Drive.

The students who have joined the marching band have high intents of performing to the best of their abilities and are always trying to improve themselves and their peers. The students as a group work to ensure a very family-friendly and open environment. 

“From the start, the 80 students who comprised our marching band were positive and fully committed to creating a great product,” said Markoch. 

COVID-19 has definitely caused the marching band some difficulties, but that did not stop this empowering team.

“We understood from the start that we would need to make some amendments to our performance to make the season work.  For example, with fewer rehearsals, we decided to shorten our show to 6 minutes (instead of the original 9 minutes). We did not perform our usual ‘pregame’ show on the field before the football games and we performed fewer pep band songs.  We also rehearsed outdoors for the entire season; in fact, there was only 2 times when we needed to rehearse indoors due to poor weather,” said Markoch.

The precautions and setup of the marching band allowed students and their families to feel safer in regards to keeping everyone healthy during this pandemic. Allowing for students to safely socialize will help boost their overall mental health. Being cooped up in a household all day with no interaction, no extracurricular activities, and more is not good for students’ health. Joining the marching band is an option to help cope with that. 

“Even during this pandemic, we were able to provide a positive experience for our students.  In fact, many students and parents expressed their gratitude for having had the opportunity to march this spring, and that their overall health (mental and physical) has improved as a result,” said Markoch. 

Even though the spring/winter marching band season is wrapped up, it does not mean it is all over. The summer/autumn marching band is going to be starting soon. Applications will be accepted and held in May. To learn more, email the marching band director at [email protected]. For more general information about joining the marching band, go to the Athens Drive website specifically directed on the marching band section.  

“You need to join marching band!  We are looking forward to experiencing a much more normal season this summer/fall,” said Markoch.