Since August, the Kennedy Marching Band has been preparing for what promises to be a historic season. With the inclusion of new drill writers and props, this upcoming season is set up for success.
The Kennedy Marching Band kicked off their performing season with a non-competitive performance at Johnston.
“I think we had a real good weekend last weekend,” Band Director Lesley Fleer said. “We had a good football game and then we had a good show at our first competition and got really good feedback from the judges and a great response from the crowd.”
This season marks an early lead, with the marching band having the full routine on the field during the first competition. The impact has been significant.
“Thanks to the tremendous work of both the ensemble and the staff, we had the entire show—all four movements—on the field,” Drum Major Griffin Bieber said. “Our directors have made sure we all know just how great of an achievement this really is for our band.”
Aside from musicians’ readiness, the support from the student body has made a difference.
“I think it’s been really good at the football games. The crowd response, the students support, even though the students in the stands don’t think so, that’s huge for the band,” Fleer said. “When they look up in the stands and people are watching them and they clap for them, that’s so good for them not musically but emotionally…So the kids have been really supportive of the band and I think that’s just spurred the band to work really hard.”
The band competed at Linn-Mar over the weekend of Sept. 23, winning second place overall and best winds. The band also competed at Pella, winning third place and best color guard.
“For the rest of the competition season, I hope we keep pushing forward to being the best ensemble we can,” Bieber said. “The group this year has so much potential, and I can’t wait to see the joy and pride they hold at the end of the season knowing they put in their all for a truly moving show.”
