Marching band to prepare for competitions, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade shows

Members of the marching band rehearse their music during a morning session. The band practices Tuesday to Friday from 6:55 to 7:40 a.m. and from 3:45 to 6 p.m. at the stadium, in addition to Saturday practices. RACHEL BOYD / PHOTO

The CHS marching band is scheduled to share a glimpse of its new competition show, “Going Viral” at the first home football game against Valparaiso on Aug. 26.

“’Going Viral’ goes with the concept of online videos,” Michael Pote, associate director of bands, said. “It’s the idea that once a video is put online, more and more people watch it and try to duplicate it or make a parody of it. In the show, one section of the band will start out with a simple idea, and each section will then make it their own.”

Besides performing the halftime show at the football game, the marching band is scheduled to kick off its competition season on Sept. 17 at the Lawrence Central Invitational. In addition to the various other competitions, including Grand Nationals in November, the band is also preparing to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“There’s a lot of excitement because we’re going to march in the parade,” Kathryn Dawson, drum major and senior, said. “It’s hectic because we have to prepare two shows, a competition show and a show for the parade, so there’s always stuff to do.”