Meet Us in St. Louis

It’s the final week push to the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional this Friday October 20 and Saturday October 21.  How did we get here?
BOA Powder Springs Regional – Best General Effect, 1st in Class AA, and fourth overall.
Blue Springs Golden Regiment Invitational – Best General Effect, 2nd in Class AA and fourth overall.
Ozarko Marching Band Invitational – Best Visual Effect, 1st in Class AA, 1st overall in preliminaries, and 2nd overall in finals just behind fellow AA band Grain Valley.

​But the lead-up to this weekend has really come from so many moments shared among the students, staff, and supporters.  The schedule itself has proven to be a beneficial partner in bringing the Camdenton Marching Band’s show “Tickled Pink” to the end of the season.  The band performed the first three movements of the show at its first home game and the first four movements of the show at another two home games before heading to Powder Springs Georgia for the earliest BOA Regional of the season.  Four movements of the show were again performed.  The students and staff knew they had a great start to the show with so much more potential that could be unpacked throughout the season.

The week after Powder Springs, the band completed one of its weekly three-hour Thursday night rehearsals.  That Friday, the band performed four movements of the show at the homecoming football game.  The following day, they completed a seven-hour Saturday rehearsal.  This rehearsal along with another weekly Thursday evening rehearsal prepared the band to perform all five movements for the first time at The Golden Regiment Invitational in Blue Springs Missouri.  Additional before school and Thursday Evening rehearsals launched the band into their second place Ozarko finish.

The director/staff pre-season decision to have a full day Saturday rehearsal the weekend before St. Louis gave the band hours to clean a well-evolving show.  The band went into that rehearsal following an always exciting home game senior night half-time show where the seniors symbolically left their marching shoes on the field after performing.

It’s going to be fun to see the work of all 67 bands performing in St. Louis.  Every band in St. Louis will have a story, many stories that have made this season special.  Some bands will carry the season through to Grand Nationals.  Most bands will go to St. Louis with the intention of leaving it all on the field.  If you are a parent or anyone who has watched a band perfect a show, go to St. Louis and watch as many bands as possible.  Watching other bands who have been on the same journey as your band really puts the season in perspective.  Imagine that many of these bands have put in similar 200 hours of full band rehearsals along with additional color guard, percussion, sectional rehearsals and individual school and home practice.  Imagine that every band and every student in St. Louis are your band and your student.  Let’s go watch some bands!

The Camdenton Band would love to see a packed house during the early morning block on Saturday, October 21st.  Owasso High School, last year’s third place finisher and a Horn Rank top 30 band, starts the day off with an early 7:30 am performance.  After you watch Owasso and many other great bands, you are sure to be “Tickled Pink” by Camdenton’s performance at 8:45 am.  See you in St. Louis.