TRI-LAKES AREA — It is said that practice makes perfect, and it seems that old adage becomes reality for the band from Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy.
Early in the morning before school begins, the 115 members of the “The Power Band of Arkansas” carry their shining instruments, heavy drums and other equipmentonto the field for another hour of precision, music and spirit.
Under the baton of band director Jon Shulz, the band is fine-tuning its performance to compete in the Band of America’s Super Regional Competition Friday and Saturday in St. Louis.
“There will be 52 bands at the competition,” Shulz said. “They are from all over this part of the United States, and we are the only band from Arkansas.”
The band appeared at the Super Region competition in 2008 and was ranked 17th out of the 63 bands that performed at the event. That ranking placed them among the premier high school bands in mid-America. This year they expect even greater things. The band members will perform at the Edward Jones Dome, home of the NFL St. Louis Rams, less than two weeks after Lake Hamilton’s band swept the Four States MarchingInvitational in Texarkana, Texas, on Oct. 3.
The 115-member Power Band was named Grand Champion after earning first division ratings in all captions or categories - band, color guard, drum majors and percussion - and earned designation as the Outstanding Band of the Day. The judges gave the “Outstanding” award to the Power Band inall captions for the best performance that day from the 18 bands from Arkansas and Texas bands competing at the event.
Shulz said the band’s program combines dramatic classic music in a hot new style that generates excitement with the band members and their audiences.
“We marched our halftime show based on ‘Scheherazade’ by Rimsky-Korsakov, set as if it were a Bollywood dance number from India,” he explained.
This fusion of styles and cultures worked well for the Lake Hamilton High PowerBand, who were judged against set standards of excellence in every category and then given an overall grade. The band takes the same program to St. Louis.
After winning top honors, the band celebrated and then went back to work.
“They were ecstatic,” Shulz said. “They were proud of themselves, and I was so proud of them. They had earned it. They had worked very hard and are now working even harder.”
The band director said focus and hard work are the keys to building a great band performance.
According to the Bands of America Web site, bands are judged with the quality ofthe musical performance and the most important part of a program. The marching and other parts of the program are judged by how it visually enhances the presentation. The members of the Power Band are getting ready for the challenge every morning.
The work does not end with the St. Louis performance. Shulz said the band competes at the Regional Marching Assessment in Lakeside on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and again at the Northwest Arkansas Marching Invitational in Siloam Springs on Saturday, Oct. 31. There are also two more football halftime shows for the Lake Hamilton Wolves left in the season.
- wbryan@ arkansasonline.com
Tri-Lakes, Pages 140 on 10/11/2009