Colony band warms up for another season

August 10, 2007

By J.J. Harrier

Frontiersman

PALMER - Colony High School marches to the beat of its own drumline.

High school football season is back, and if you've caught an episode of NBC's hit show &#8220Friday Night Lights” this year, then you may have figured out that your weekly prep football game is the place to be.

But then, those in the Mat-Su Valley don't need a popular television series to make that point.

Football games are a huge family event in the Valley. The late night junk food, the pumped up teams, the rivalry. It's all there. And then, if you're a Colony High School fan, there's the marching band. A crowd teaser and pleaser that accompanies the blood pumping action of football.

Entering its third season, the Colony band is the only group marching in the Valley.

Jamin Burton, director of the Colony High marching Knights, is trying to organize his group for its first performances. Band members are scattered across several sound-proof music rooms, split into their respective instrument sections: brass, drums and woodwind. This year, Burton leads 35 students, all playing instruments and learning choreography.

Many his these students are newbies to marching band, with about a third being incoming freshmen. The Colony band is rare, as only a few schools in Alaska are equipped with marching bands that accompany their football teams to games.

&#8220Lots of schools struggle to just keep the football teams alive,” Burton said. &#8220We have dedication here at Colony, and that's why we get to have fun with a band on top of playing the best football around.”

Burton is no stranger to marching bands. His parents signed him up to play in his school band against his will, which led to a four-year passion playing and conducting in the Bingham High School marching band in South Jordan, Utah. The director of his school's marching band called him several times seeking Burton's talent.

&#8220I said, ‘Forget it,'” Burton said. &#8220Who wants to be put on stage like that? (But) once I got in, there was no question, I was hooked.”

Colony's marching band is comprised of six students on the drum line, two flaggers, two drum majors, 12 brass and 12 woodwinds. In the Lower 48, high school bands are highly competitive and disciplined, with some schools participating in competitions with 200 or more band members, Burton said. Colony has not risen to that level yet, but it's a dream for his program.

Like preseason football, the band practices and drills long and hard to prepare for the season. For two weeks straight before school begins, band practices begin at 7 a.m. and run until 4 p.m., taking short breaks throughout the day.

This year, to recruit his future Burton went to area middle schools and got the names of all their band participants. He then called their parents asking for their support in helping the middle-schoolers make an important decision: join the marching band or miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime.

Burton also had to convince them marching band is actually fun, too.

&#8220They get to a chance to know people in the marching band and to have fun with it,” he said, adding the band will play at each of Colony's home games and possibly a few away, thanks to funding from the booster club, the Matanuska-Susitana School District and small fees students pay to stay involved.

&#8220There are no rules here, we're making them up as we go along,” Burton said.

Then there's the music.

Halftime shows at Colony High School football games this year will have a Latin twist, switching it up from last year's rock and roll productions, Burton said. Tunes like &#8220Desperado” and &#8220The Children of Sanchez” will be highlights. The rest of the music will be traditional band fare: the themes &#8220Superman” and &#8220Star Wars &#8220 and &#8220The Star Spangled Banner.”

Burton wrote the band's marching show with the help of Victor Neves, a colleague in Utah who wrote shows for Bingham's marching band. Each drill has been thought out carefully and practiced for one purpose only - entertain the football fans.

&#8220This year is the best year for attitude yet,” Burton said. &#8220The first two years we were trying so hard to convince these guys that being in a marching band is a good thing, socially and professionally, but eventually we hit the right note.”

Sam Youmans, 17, is a senior at Colony High School who has been with the marching band since its inception, first as tuba player and now as a drum major.

&#8220I was forced into it and totally didn't want to do it,” Youmans said. &#8220But I was glad I was forced because I was a hard-core athlete who couldn't compete after I received an injury, so this has really become a new part of my life.”

She said the team atmosphere and camaraderie kept her on the field, something that has enriched her high school experience. Youman plans on pursuing her musical talents in a college marching band, hopefully at the University of Northern Colorado, next fall. It is one of the only reasons she plans to make the move out of state.

Sarah Allender and Anna Woodall, both 14, are trumpet players and incoming freshman at Colony High School who see the marching band as more than just a stage; it's also a challenge and high school experience they want to explore.

&#8220I thought it would be fun,” Woodall said. &#8220I've been in other bands before, but not a marching band. This will be a good addition to my experiences here.”

&#8220The days we practice are really fun,” Allender said. &#8220I thought I could definitely challenge myself in a marching band.”

Colony's first home game is 7 p.m. Aug. 24 hosting West Valley High School.

Contact J.J. Harrier at 352-2269 or valleylife@frontiersman.com.