Falling leaves and football signal the beauty of the shifting season. The band is following suit with a fresh competition performance, “Fallen: an Angel’s Journey,” and a new director, Carrie Mitchell—while change hangs in the air.
One step down from heaven, a once good angel dawned with white and gold has turned silver and black to roam the earth with evil in its heart—not knowing that redemption will come with haunting clarity.
For each competition, and the next two home games, the band will personify these emotions in order to tell a story of sound and triumph.
The main angel—a single character played by senior color guard members Ananda Huynh, Kara Gobble, and Kynzee Davis, respectively—performs alongside a chorus of angels composed of the remaining color guard members. Dancing to the show’s music, they embody the evolution of the angel’s journey after being cast out of heaven.
Huynh begins to dance during the opening song, “Angels in the Architecture”, which was recomposed by former band director David Semones.
The first movement is the most difficult to perform, beginning with a brass chorus, then heading into a mesmerizing clarinet solo from sophomore Sarah Boone, with nefarious woodwinds chiming in after that. The band plays passionately, with immense emotion.
Waves of brass instruments then sound in and the intensity leads to the angel suddenly falling to the ground in a fit of anguish, Huynh’s actions reflecting every musical change. The band then grows silent waiting for the charged drums to sound in.
The angels and band both learn through this performance that change allows people to learn new things, even if it can sometimes be difficult to feel those emotions. The show communicates to the audience that everyone is allowed to feel differently about adapting to adjustments to their lives.
“Our band show is about two different parts of the same angel fighting a mental battle [and] truly fighting the act of change,” said fellow drum major Brianna Clouse. “It’s [about learning that] it’s okay to feel.”
As the vibrant percussion ramps up, the angel—played now by Kara Gobble—thrashes around, almost struggling to compete with the force of the music. Simultaneously, the band members are facing a similar change.
The band, while not falling down from heaven, is beginning their new season with the same perseverance but without their former director, Mr. Semones, who, this summer, moved to John Sevier Middle School.
“The band is facing change right now. Starting this year we got a new director,” said drum major Kaydin Quales. “It was very hard for the band, but we came together for the show and lived in the moment.”
Likewise, they’re also forming bonds with a new leader. Carrie Mitchell, the new band director, has been directing for 13 years now across various schools in Florida. Yet, despite her short experience with the band, she has already noticed how special it is.
She understands facing hardships as well: coming to a brand new school with a very different band environment than her previous experiences.
“The band is very competition based,” Mitchell explained. “ Still, I’ve noticed that it is like a big family connected by music.”
These new challenges have ultimately made the band grow closer together, ultimately showing them how much each member needs each other—and their music—as support.
“Band gives many members another chance [to become their own person],” said Quales. “The show hits home for me and I’m honored to get to know every member of the band—[to know] every member of this team.”
Quales had once felt like she didn’t have a place to belong, until she found family in the band. Like the angel, she once felt rejected by the world and rose up again by exploring music.
Gently, fading into the second song, the band builds up their woodwinds and brass section once more in a different composition.
As the music intensifies, a flute solo from junior Astraia Kudela fills the room while drums ring out distant melodies. Played now by Kynzee Davis, the angel’s emotions amplify as she dances passionately.
As the movements of the show grow to a peak, the angel is engrossed with change. But not only is the singular angel faced with this new mindset, the entire group of angels strive to learn from their mistakes, enlightened as they rise through perseverance.
The melody of Coldplay’s “Fix You” brings the performance nearly to its end, with each melancholy note of the flute section bringing a bittersweet energy to the angels rising.
“[The angel shows] even the mightiest can fall,” said Mitchell. “Everyone can relate to facing hardships and having to try again.”
As the final note of the piece rings out through an encore of the first act, the angel is imperfect but faces happiness and understanding. The final piece is in a major key, with the instruments sounding out joy and triumph.
Redemption is represented through the new rhythm the angel chants out through each resounding note, as they know that they have the fortune of trying again.
As the final note of the piece rings out through an encore of the first act, the angel is imperfect, but faces happiness and understanding. The angel knows that it will be returning to the place it once called home—freed by music.
“Change does happen and it is frequent, but that does not mean it has to be a negative experience,” said Clouse. “Change can bring out the best in people, giving them another chance like the band has another chance to perform this year.”
Correction:
Sept. 25, 2024An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Brianna Clouse as the assistant drum major. Brianna Clouse is, in fact, the second drum major. An earlier version also erroneously referred to “a brass chorus solo from sophomore Sarah Boone.” Sarah Boone plays the clarinet, not brass.
