Earlier this November the band traveled to Indianapolis for their biggest competition of their marching season.

The Woodlands High School Marching Band is a nationally recognized band, with many achievements and awards under their belt, especially after this year.

After a successful season in-state, the band headed to the National level competition in Indianapolis, Indiana to perform at Lucas Oil Stadium. Bands of America Grand Nationals is the largest high school level marching contest in the country, bands from all across the country travel to compete. Out of the 92 bands that performed in the preliminaries, only 33 advanced to Semi-finals, and after hours of competing, the Woodlands band placed third in semi-finals and fifth in finals. Fifth in the nation folks. 

But what goes on behind the scenes to get ready for  Indy? Hours and hours of practice, according to the band’s director, Carter Frederick, that starts in the last week of July. From July 24 to November 11th, all 300- and-something people in the band work endlessly on a show that will get judged based not on the hours on the parking lot, but the short amount of time they have on the field. And when The Woodlands Band takes the field, they don’t waste a second of that time. When asked about what it feels like to be on the field, Jadyn Syer describes the energy as “vibrant”, an energy completely unmatched she says. 

 The band’s show this year was just that and more, Titled: Day Danse, the show features neon colors, swirling and jagged designs, and music that takes viewers on a journey, all in just 8 minutes and 8 seconds. 

The band is made up of many different sections, but from Tubas to Color Guard they all put in a lot of hard work and energy.

“We all work hard to get to our common goal of doing super well,” guard member Julia Larson said.

Their competition season started on Oct. 7 at Bands of America Katy.They finished in first with a clean sweep in all captions in their class (Outstanding Visual, Music and General Effect). The band worked hard through October, competing in many other competitions and achieving high scores in each of them.

On Nov. 4 the band headed to San Antonio for the state level Bands of America competition, BOA super regionals.  After placing 2nd in the state, the band finally made the trip up to Indianapolis Indiana.

The trip is only three days long and after that, the band’s season is over.  Tens of thousands of people travel to Lucas Oil to see these bands perform. From rehearsals in a convention center to warm-ups in the stadium, the band keeps practicing and improving until the last moments.

“Stepping out onto the field for finals makes it all feel worth it,” Syer said.