SAN BENITO — They wove intricate patterns of movement and rhythm, their feet shifting, twisting and turning while moving across the parking lot.
At the same time, the musicians of the San Benito High School Greyhound Band blew delicate and unbroken lines of melody into their saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, trombones and tubas.
“Ok, let’s try it again,” said Art Rivas, assistant band director as he led them all through a visual rehearsal.
This visual rehearsal, more specifically, was a rigorous practice session of the marching steps the band will soon present in its perfected form at the 79th Annual Pigskin Jubilee Marching Contest on Oct. 15.
“They are working on different movements, different speeds, different step sizes,” observed Greyhound Band Director Dayri Mendoza as his young musicians rehearsed their show “Phoenix Rising.”
Mendoza explained in a previous discussion the weaving of separate musical pieces to create the grand spectacle of a “Phoenix Rising.”
“It has the Firebird Suite from Stravinsky as well as from Eric Whittaker’s ‘Flight of Paradise,’” Mendoza said. “It’s not necessarily a bird or a firebird theme, but it’s a flight theme. That’s the music for it, and it’s very well arranged. And the kids are having a good go at it.”
Weeks later, they executed an impressive series of moves as they played under the direction of Rivas.
“Woodwinds!” he called out. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.”
The students in their individual sections flowed across the parking lot in their separate movements like warm honey, arms up and over, swaying, lines of music running like individual threads into an elegant display of sound.
Students seemed pleased with their progress.
“It’s going great,” said Sarah Rodriguez, drum major.
“I think it’s better than in other years,” said Sarah, 17, a senior.
Why?
“Just the energy and the excitement and more drills this year, and coming off COVID,” she said.
Claudia Itza, 18, is pulling double duty this year, serving as both drum major and flute player with a solo.
Drum majors don’t normally play their instruments, but her skill is superb and vital to the show, Mendoza said.
Claudia didn’t seem to mind.
“I get to do two of my favorite things,” she said.
Now the marimbas and xylophones rang high into the air while the color guard waved purple flags as a sort of rolling, twirling, fluttering embellishment to the dramatic performance.
The musicians with arms out and lips gripping flutes, saxophones and trombones moved in what appeared to be concentric circles before splitting apart and coming together in ever changing patterns.
This presentation is the result of the combined efforts of students and directors, each taking on a single part of a much grander whole, Mendoza said.
“We have some directors that work primarily with the visual aspect of the show and some directors that work primarily with the music aspect of the show,” Mendoza said. “Everybody teaches an instrument, and then aside from teaching an instrument, when it comes to the marching band, they also have assigned duties that are more specific. Some people handle drill, some people handle choreography, some people handle the color guard, and some people handle the prop crew. Every piece of the puzzle is of equal size and equal importance to the show.”
It was a sort of complex marquetry, the individual pieces inlaid into the broader vision, but the marquetry became a kaleidoscope of moving parts in ever-growing complexity and evolved into a sort of metamorphoses.
“I really like the show,” said Sarah. “It’s a little bit challenging but in a good way.”
