With marching season in full swing, the Coppell High School Band has been competing in back to back marching contests in October, earning trophies and glowing reviews. In Tuesday’s UIL Region 31 Marching Contest held at Pennington Field on October 18th, Coppell achieved a Division I rating, earning a 24th consecutive UIL Marching Sweepstakes Award. As a result, Coppell will advance to the area contest which will be held on October 29th.
At Saturday’s Plano East Marching Invitational (PEMI) preliminary round, held at John Clark Stadium on October 15th, Coppell won the 6A caption awards for best Winds and Guard, and placed 2nd in Class 6A. Coppell went on to win 2nd place overall in the finals competition, and achieved the highest point total for Guard.
“The students’ level of confidence and the will to succeed are definitely showing on the field,“ said Adrian Caswell, Associate Director of Bands. “They are making a shift from worrying about making a mistake to believing in themselves and performing their best. Rehearsals, repetitions, and gaining positive affirmations are contributing to their momentum.”
Color Guard Director Matthew Rummel is immensely proud of the Coppell Guard and the hard work and dedication that led to the PEMI 6A Guard win in prelims and the overall win in finals. “While winning is never our objective, it is a great vote of confidence that our students are on the right track,” said Rummel. “There was fierce competition that night with a few of the best guards in the state. To be compared to them in any way is a gigantic accomplishment for Coppell. It was a team effort and couldn't have come to fruition without the support of the band directors, parents, and band booster association.”
Coppell’s 2016 marching show, “Now I See”, is both musically and visually compelling. Audiences have responded with enthusiastic praise and applause. Musical selections include “Amazing Grace” by John Newton, “Savannah River Holiday” by Ron Nelson, “It Is Well With My Soul” by Phillip Bliss, “107 Steps” by Bjork, and “Finale from the Organ Symphony” by Camille Saint-Saens.
The show title “Now I See” is based on the last line of Newton's “Amazing Grace: I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now, I see. Per Rummel, “Our perception of the world is our reality, but can different circumstances alter that perception?”
Coppell’s marching program this year is comprised of four movements. Movement I, "Rose-Colored", is a reference to seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. “Everything from the colors to the choice we made in our music selection demonstrates a world that is rosy and bright,” said Rummel.
Movement II, "Windows to the Soul”, allows an inner reflection through the phrase, eyes are the windows to the soul. “We went with an emotional hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”, based on the music of Phillip Bliss,” said Rummel.
Movement III, "Blinded", references not only physical blindness, but other things people blind themselves from that allow perception to lead to a different reality, than what it may actually be. According to Rummel, “The music selection is a departure for Coppell from the norm of what is musically programmed. It is meant to be shocking, and in the case of one musical note on the score, a little grotesquely loud. The colors are muted and accented with numbers to reference a person counting their steps through life. This contrasts dramatically with the finale.”
Movement IV, "Now I See", is the finale. The lenses in the back of the large glasses will fall away and vibrant blue eyes will appear. “For me personally,” said Rummel, “I was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s saying, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." One can see the world through rose-colored glasses, or be blinded by hate and fear, but in the end, we can all be the change we want to see and do our part to make the world a better place.”
Coppell’s next marching band competition will be at the Duncanville Marching Invitational at Panther Stadium on October 22, 2016. Coppell is slated to perform in the preliminary round at 3:45 p.m.
On October 29th Coppell will compete at the UIL Area B 6A Marching Band Contest at Pennington Field at 4:00 p.m. For more details on upcoming performances, go to the band’s website at www.chsbandboosters.com.