MFHS Band to perform at UIL competition Saturday

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The Marble Falls High School marching band, color guard and Starlette Dance Team have been working together since December to prepare for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) regional competition Saturday, Oct. 18, in Round Rock. Riding a high after their performance at the Gatesville Marching Festival Saturday, Oct. 11, students and leaders are preparing to face more judges with score cards in hand.

“The students will have butterflies because it’s UIL,” which is a bigger performance than the one on Saturday, said Brad Behrens, MFHS head band director, Tuesday.

Last Saturday, three judges, using rubrics to steer them toward objectivity, gave the band, color guard and Starlette Dance Team performance “first ratings,” which is the best score out of a possible five, at the Gatesville Marching Festival. The group swept the 5A division, winning in the best marching, best music, best percussion, best auxiliary and best 5A band categories.

Behrens said judges liked the “sounds,” but they pointed out some inconsistencies to fix, such as getting in the right position and staying together in the left or right of the field. “It’s a challenge, but we’re working hard on it.”

After their Saturday performance, marching band head drum major Tristan Galban, a senior, felt a sense of “relief.”

“We achieved the goal we were reaching for,” he said. “It was just overwhelming happiness, we were happy for each other.”

Behrens said he reminds his students to focus both on improvements and accomplishments. 

For the full story, see Friday's Highlander.