Color Guard and Band March into the New Season

The Fair Grove High School Color Guard and Band are already gearing up and getting excited for the new year.

Color Guard is a club that people tend to know about, but it’s uncommon for people to know what it really is. Mrs. Harmon, the director for the team, explained, “Color Guard is the main visual aspect of the marching band. We are the ones on the field using flags as well as other visual elements to tell the story of the music that the band is playing.” The Color Guard can be found on the football field mesmerizing the crowd as their flags go flying through the air. 

If Color Guard sounds like something that students would want to be a part of, Mrs. Harmon  explained that there are auditions that run for about a week, where students would learn things like basic spins and tosses, either at the end of February or at the beginning of March. Harmon said, “We spend three days learning the basics and the routine they perform. Then on Friday, we record small groups of students, usually pairing potential returning students with students auditioning for the first time.” After this the choreographer and Mrs. Harmon review the videos and decide what the Guard team for the next year would be. The Color Guard for the 2023-2024 school year are Abbie Barton (8), Alyssa Chappell (8), Madi Crews (8), Stephanie Dunham (11), Desiree Labaw (9), Alice McMains (8), Reese Wells (10), and Hadie Wingo (11).

The other branch of entertainment that performs at the same time as the Color Guard is Band. Of course, everyone is welcome to learn how to play an instrument and perform in the Band for Fair Grove High School, but there is a part of Band that the student has to have to audition for to be a part of it; drumline. Teacher and director of Band at Fair Grove, Mrs. Palomo explained that the drumline is the percussion portion of the band. Palomo elaborated, “They play snare, quads, and bass, while marching.” 

Palomo said that the audition to be a part of a drumline consists of the quality of the sound of music chosen by the person auditioning. The students are allowed two months to find and prepare a piece to perform. Palomo explained, “They do a week of clinics to be sure they’re learning the piece correctly, followed by a partially blind audition. One by one they come in and play the music, and I give them a score without seeing who is who, while our clinician watches for the technique and scores accordingly. Then we see who we agreed on and discuss anything else before finalizing the placements.” Next year’s drumline is Brandon Kandlbinder (11), Gavin Brock (9), Luke Engel (10), Waylon Wright (9), Kaden Baker (10), and Nate Walters (8).

The Fair Grove High School Color Guard and Band are very excited to perform next year with the new positions in place. Mrs. Harmon stated, “I am really excited for this next season!”