The efforts of the Marching Band come to fruition this year as they debut their new theme “Darkness Falls” from home-game performances to competitions state-wide.
Like a squirming glob of ectoplasm, the group incorporates curated music and climactic choreography into a propulsive and extraordinary display, fueled by the toiling of talented souls. It’s a spectacle that plays a great counterpoint to the fall season.
“One thing that if you’re watching North’s band is just trying to take it all in. I would say it’s really hard. Don’t just listen to music and don’t just watch people in general because it’s all one together,” said assistant marching director Noah Scibbe. “My one little hint too is there’s specifically a song where one of our Color Guard dancers do a waltz with a skeleton, and I think that’s just the coolest thing.”
After winning fifth best in state at the University of Illinois and first place at Marengo last year, the band is scoping out new mediums to play host to the year’s performers.
“You can see the band at every home football game. Our next competition, if people are willing to travel, will actually be at the University of Illinois on October 14. The next week after that, we’re going to head to Western Illinois on October 21,” Scibbe said.
The arguable lifeforce of the Marching Knights is leadership and collaboration. While faculty members like director Candace Edstrand administrate, student advocates who act as section leaders or drum majors work with them to support the program’s vital processes; the premise of a band is a collective effort toward a more meaningful musical sum. Perhaps this interconnection is behind the band’s prevailing spirit of kinship, the spirit that compelled senior Kevin Meyer to ascend to its presidency.
“The community really brought me in and made me love it, and I couldn’t say no, so I got stuck in here for four years,” Meyer said. “I really wanted to give back and be that person to be welcoming to those freshmen that came in.”
Be it enrichment of knowledge or bonds of camaraderie, the band leaves a memorable impression on participants that transcends the physical realm (sore muscles post-performance included).
“I’m definitely going to take the experience of working with others. Being a marching band leader definitely forces you to really work with your other sectional leaders,” said senior leader Nick Ellington. “The experiences you gain here in terms of your playing are going to skyrocket you into the future, so I’m really going to keep all that stuff under wraps and close to me when I graduate and go on to bigger things.”
The augmented perspective on performance the program lends its students corresponds with a key tip for prospective band viewers.
“If you sit up high, you’re gonna see the letters RIP, you’re gonna see the word BOO, you’re gonna see a ghost, you’re gonna see so many crazy cool motions and stuff like that. Marching Band is definitely meant to be experienced looking down on the field instead of just looking at ground level,” Ellington said.
