St. Louis High School went to Alma college Saturday, Oct. 12, to play at the Alma College Kiltie Invitational featuring bands from Fulton High School, Grayling High School, Fremont High School, Alma High School, and Oxford High School, all followed by the Alma College marching band. The SLHS band performed the setlist “Taking a Journey Through Journey” including the Journey songs; “Anyway You Want It,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Open Arms,” and “Separate Ways.”
Senior Rebekah Ross represented St. Louis’s marching band when it came to collecting the awards and participating in the drum major salute. “My favorite was being able to represent the band for the awards. I have one fond memory of when I was younger of watching the band perform in their uniforms, and see the drum majors do their salute. Since that moment, I dreamed of looking like that and doing a salute,” Ross said. “I was extremely nervous about the performance. Through the first song, my knees were shaking and I was so nervous that I felt like I was going to faint. It felt like I was back at State Solo and Ensemble during my solo,” she added.
Ross also said, “I believe the only thing people could have done better on was their reactions to our placement. A few people were being almost rude with their upsetness towards getting second. The only reason that we placed the way we did was because of small things.” Ross concluded with, “In all honesty, some bands did better than us. But what I focus on is our progress. Three days before the competition, we did not even remember the entire show, and come Saturday, everyone stepped up and put in the effort. Sure there were mistakes. I made a few as well, but we did wonderfully given the circumstances. We even got many compliments from other parents and bands.”
During the songs “Open Arms” and “Separate Ways,” seniors Blake Ferman, Ross, Kailee Reese, Kaya Munoz, Elliot Carter, Elizabeth Starry, and Bethany Bowerman, all performed a solo. Band director, Steven Lawhorne, broke out the keytar for the first time and handed it down to Blake Ferman to play through the songs, “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Open Arms,” and “Separate Ways.”
Ferman said, “As a musician, there is just about always something that you wished you had done differently. But I think this performance was great, and we gave it our all. Of course I was nervous, but the show is just how we practiced it several times before. that’s how I think about it.” Ferman also said, “There are going to be bands that are better than you. However, that’s why it is so great to watch them. I get to pick up on things that they do better and shape my own performances for in the future.” Ferman’s favorite part of performing is playing along with everyone else. “Performing a show like this requires everyone to be on the same page as each other, and it makes me feel bonded with the members of the band. Oh, and playing the keytar. Obviously,” he added.
Band director, Lawhorne said, “I get nervous but because I am excited we played everything right going up to it, but I am like that before any good performance. It’s a good to be nervous though. This is the first year we have been back since 2019 because it got canceled for covid but we did it in 2018. I think it makes a difference because it gives us a different opportunity than half time and in front of a new crowd, and I think the students really enjoyed it.”
Although the band did not receive the placement they had hoped for, they still put on a remarkable and memorable show the audience loved. The band will also be putting on another performance Oct. 21 for the Alma Glow show.
