LOS ALAMITOS, CA — After finishing their successful spring seasons, Los Al’s color guard and drumline put on a stunning showcase last Sunday, highlighting their endless hard work throughout the semester. With the event open for all, there was a packed audience of family and friends supporting both groups.

While the showcase allowed the high school groups to display their skills, it also gave middle schoolers from McAuliffe and Oak Middle School the chance to perform. During the week leading up to the showcase, both color guard and drumline held workshops for students in 6th to 8th grade, allowing them the opportunity to learn the basics of each group. After four days of rehearsals, both groups had a mini show that they performed at the showcase alongside their older mentors.

“It was amazing getting to spend a week teaching [the middle schoolers] drumming as well as seeing them get excited about learning, being able to perform on their own for the first time, and starting to know what it’s going to be like when they join,” said drumline member Mairi-Claire Payne.

Throughout the showcase, leadership positions for the upcoming marching season were also announced, eliciting extra nervousness and excitement from the audience.

“[The announcements] felt a little agonizing because the director set it up in a way that forced us to wait and anticipate the reveals during the showcase,” said upcoming saxophone section leader Paola Mucciaro. “We were all sitting and marinating in our anxiety.”

The show then began with a combined performance from the color guard middle schoolers and high school members. With a mix of dance moves and flag drills, the kids from McAuliffe and Oak impressively demonstrated all their hard work from their limited practices.

Following the middle school color guard, the high school team then showcased their competition show titled “Cinema”. From flags with vibrant film strips to clapperboard props, the members put on a breathtaking show. As they blended acrobatic elements with tossing rifles and flags, each person displayed their clear talent and gracefulness. Paired with the emotional song “Cinema” by Jason Evigan, the dance moves and flag movements successfully amazed everyone in the audience.

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Drumline members cheer after watching color guard's spectacular performance. (Loreen Watanabe)

After the color guard performances were finished, the middle school drumline members blew the crowd away with the music learned from their workshops. Although they only practiced for a few days, the middle schoolers put on an amazing demonstration of their talent as they performed their music for the first time.

“I was really surprised because they did a really good job at learning a lot of music in a week,” said drumline member Maya Wresinski. “I think all of them had it memorized which is really impressive.”

From there, the drumline performed the final piece of the event, their competition show titled “Electrik”. The extraordinary drumline completely astonished their audience with their exciting music and perfect visuals. Adding a vibrant effect to the show with timed lights on the different props, each musical impact moment was met with precise movements from each member.

“The drumline and color guard shows were really amazing,” said sophomore Sydney Chung. “The drumline’s electrical effects and props were so cool and I really enjoyed the music!”

Both the color guard and drumline put on impressive performances during their spring showcase! With the opportunity to show their family and friends everything they worked for, both groups did not disappoint! Make sure to look out for future marching band events this coming fall to watch the Los Al drumline and color guard in action again!