Marching band earns Division 1 in Dubuque on Oct. 8

The marching band earned Division 1 ranking, the highest division ranking a band can receive, at the state marching band contest hosted at Dubuque Senior High School on Oct. 8. A few other bands received similar rankings based on their scores. Their catalog of songs consisted of arrangements from popular songs, including Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and “Piano Man,” as well as “Wanted Dead Or Alive” by Bon Jovi.

“Overall, I think that the marching contest went well.,” senior drum major Jenna Borwick said. “The most uneasy part of the performance was the few measures that were not together in movement two. Since I was leading that movement, it was a little stressful when things started getting off. Other than that, everything else felt comfortable. I think all the movements sounded great, and it was nice to know that the hard work paid off.”

The competition hosts a variety of marching bands across Iowa and takes place annually. 

The students arrived at Cedar Falls High School at 8 a.m. to get in practice before going on the nearly two-hour long drive to Dubuque. They first stopped at the Dubuque Hempstead School to practice before arriving at Dubuque Senior.

“Leadership in the band is in great shape for next year because they have Ava, who is amazing, returning as a drum major and there are lots of sophomores and juniors who would do great in Gabby and my spot as well as becoming section leaders,” Borwick said. “I think the band as a whole is also in good shape for next year because there are lots of good sounds coming from the sophomores and juniors.”

The marching band played at their scheduled time of 1:50 p.m. Students brought a sack lunch for the event and ate on the bus. They sat and watched the last two performances after them, which were from the Dubuque Hempstead and Dubuque Senior schools. The marching band had been practicing the songs they performed all the way back in July of this year.

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