Music from the 2009 movie "Star Trek" inspired the theme this year for the Warsaw Community High School Marching Band and Color Guard.
Mickey Ratliff, band director, said this year's theme is "Stars". "I don't know if we'll stick with it as the title, but it's the overall concept," he said.
Last November, Ratliff said he was watching "Star Trek" at home on DVD when he heard the first bit of music. He thought it was great music and would make a great theme. He watched the movie several more times, just listening to the music.
Since he didn't find anything better, he decided to use the "Star Trek" music for the 2010 marching band. "Stars" is the theme, he said, because a "Star Trek" theme would be cheesy and wouldn't fly today in competition. The "stars" concept could include stars in space or as a metaphor.
The ballad from "Star Trek" used for the marching band performance is "Labor of Love". For the marching band performance, they're calling it "star-crossed", carrying over the "star" concept.
Another theme is "starstruck", with other parts of the show including the opening "star burst" and the closing "dark star".
The show has four parts, Ratliff said, but the fourth part is really short. The music was written so it transitions into the fourth part.
Ratliff said the music is technically challenging, but not as much in parts as in the past.
"I think that's been an overreach on my part. You get to a point where it might be a little too hard," Ratliff said.
If music is too hard for the performers, they never get to put the emotion into it. The music this year has some challenging parts but Ratliff said he wanted it to be more achievable.
To prepare for this fall's competition and performances, the band and color guard started pre-camp Monday. Next week, band camp starts.
Sarah Fox and Hannah Helman are the color guard co-directors. For the theme this year, Fox said they are showcasing it more with the uniform. There are sparkles on the costumes that represent stars.
Helman said the color guard also does a slow-motion spacey kind of dance.
Ratliff said they had a different arrangement for the music at the end of last school year, but they had the music specifically arranged for the WCHS band. They started receiving it a few weeks ago, and Ratliff began e-mailing the music in PDF format to the students who had e-mail access. That allowed some of the students to have the music three to four weeks before pre-camp.
"That's one of the benefits of technology," Ratliff said.
"I'm really excited for it, but I'm always excited for it," said senior Emily Sumner of the music.
The music is something different from their first years in the band, said Eva Hanft, senior. Though she hasn't seen the "Star Trek" movie, she said she's been listening to the music.
"That's helped out a lot," said Sumner.
What also has helped the band with the music is starting to learn it before the school year starts.
"It helps a lot because our first contest is toward early September," said Sumner.
When the school year starts, Hanft said they get overloaded with homework and don't have as much time to work with the music. The extra time in the summer with the music helps, she said.
Both girls play the clarinet, and both are drum majors, Hanft said.
"It's kind of weird being seniors," said Hanft. "We looked up to seniors our freshmen and sophomore years, and now we're seniors and it's like, 'Wow!'"
This year, there are about 110 students in the marching band. Students will perform "Stars" on the last day of band camp in a preview show for parents, band alumni and anyone else who wants to come out.
The preview show is a lot of fun, Ratliff said, because the kids design their own costumes. They don't wear band uniforms. One year, a group of students dressed as the Spartans from the movie "300", Ratliff said. The students can be really creative sometimes and they enjoy doing that.
For the first time in 13 years, the band will sport new band uniforms this year. The new uniforms will give the band a new look and attitude, Ratliff said. When he picked the show, he also wanted to do something to start a new chapter for the band with the new uniforms.
"I wanted to do something different people wouldn't expect from us in the past," he said.
The uniforms look really modern and sharp, he said, different from the uniforms the band wore the past 13 years. Two-thirds of the new uniforms are black. The top features a blueish-silver gray created especially for the WCHS band, Ratliff said. The dye had to be mixed especially for the band, "so that's really exciting," he said.
By the time the band performs at the first home football game, Ratliff said the uniforms should be delivered so they can be premiered then.
Sumner said getting the new band uniforms is "very exciting".
"They won't recognize us at contests," said Hanft.
The main focus, however, Sumner said, is getting to semi-state this year. She said the band has a good shot.
"I'm really excited. I know I've said that like 10 times, but I am really excited," Sumner said.
"We don't want to slow down. We want to keep going," said Hanft.
"We've made so much progress (over the years)," said Sumner.Fox said the color guard also wants to compete at semi-state this year. She said they have a strong group this year because all nine of the girls have done it before.
Helman said the color guard is building up its repertoire, and this year they have more challenging work than last summer. However, she said, they are handling it very well.
"We have a few solos, a few duets," said Fox.
"A lot of body movements with the color guard," said Helman. "There's more dance."
The color guard's and band's first contest is Sept. 11 at Goshen High School. That contest is followed by competition at DeKalb High School Sept. 18; Penn High School, Sept. 25; district at Homestead High School, Oct. 2; Plymouth High School, Oct. 9; and regionals Oct. 16 at Lafayette-Jefferson High School.
If the band makes semi-state, it will be at Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, Oct. 23.
"It's our goal to make semi-state. I think this is only the third year we've had a semi-state on our schedule. We have every reason to make it. We have as good of a shot as anyone else," said Ratliff.
If the band continues from there, state finals are Oct. 30 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
