On Monday, October 6th, the craziness began: Dover vs Phila band preparation. It is a lot of fun, but also kinda stressful because it’s such a big game. We first got the music and saw the new logo Mr. Redd designed for the band. It is so cool!!! We have been practicing the music every day so that it would be perfect and exciting for the audience members who love the Dover Band and want to see Phila get crushed.
We then went over pregame lines over and over; this way the lines would be perfectly straight for the big game. I also heard that there is a slightly modified pregame that we will have to learn. Not only are we learning pregame, but we also have to start learning everything for the pep rallies! We have all the elementary kids’ pep rallies, then the middle school and high school. I am excited about being a part of, instead of being a bystander.
But this year, the game is going to be extra stressful and tiring because we have to do the death march for the pep rally and the actual game! Last year, we only had to do the death march for the community pep rally, since the game was at Phila. We are excited for the community pep rally because we get to wear jeans and a new sweatshirt that only the band members get. At the Dover vs. Phila game we still have to wear uniforms. It will be so cool to actually perform for something that big!!
Another tradition that I am also really excited to be a part of this year is when the New Phila’s band joins the Dover band under the direction of Mr. Jeff Phillips, the New Phila band director and us as a combined band play the national anthem! After that, we finish pregame and welcome the teams to the field, and let the game begin.
We also get to start new marching drills for the half-time show against New Phila, which I am assuming is going to be extra cool and fun, considering it is our last regular game of the season and such a big game itself. I think the dance will be extra fun and exhilarating too. I believe that whether we win or lose, it is still so fun to be a part of the hype of the game. It is more fun to win, but even in the unlikely event that we do lose, I believe it will still be a cool thing to experience the heat of the game!
As the Dover Phila game approaches, it is close to the end of the season and a goodbye to our seniors performing on the field. It is also a hello to concert season, which I am personally excited about- not only because it gets easier, but because we get to play longer and harder pieces. I am also truly excited because it means the Disney trip for the band is approaching next year! That’s the craziness about Dover Phila preparation in the band!!
