LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — On Monday, Nov. 3, the Los Alamitos High School marching band and color guard ended their season with a showcase of this year’s piece, “Pandora’s Lament.” The showcase, which began at 6:00 p.m. and took place on the LAHS John Barnes Field, highlighted the hard work and dedication of the skilled students. 

The showcase opened with a recognition ceremony for this year’s marching band a color guard seniors. After the band brought all their equipment to the field, seniors were instructed to line up while the rest of the band entered the lower part of the bleachers. 

One by one, the band director, Mr. Buchen, announced each senior by name. As they walked from one end of the track to the other, accompanied by their family members and cheered on by their fellow band members, Mr. Buchen shared the students’ future plans, favorite memories and favorite performances. 

Since their final competition in San Diego was this past weekend, this was the final marching band performance for all of the senior students. Families and friends came to give their support by waving around giant head cutouts of their students and cheering throughout the show. While completing the last performance was rewarding and enjoyable, it was also sentimental.

“(I’m) definitely happy, because it’s just a fun performance, and (I’m) having a lot of fun doing it, but also, you know, it’s a little bittersweet too. (It’s) the last performance, so there’s still that feeling in there too,” senior and drum major Konner Fox said. 

After recognizing the graduating performers, all members of the band and color guard returned to the field, and Mr. Buchen announced a “Minute to Win It” game, where the drumline played their usual football game anthem and color guard members ran around the stands with buckets collecting donations from the audience. 

Following the donation game, the color guard members returned to their positions behind a giant black box prop on the field, and the front ensemble played a tune to prepare their instruments for the final performance. 

Once the show began, the marching band made various formations around the field while the color guard did tricks with their flags, and later on, with rifles. Since the theme was “Pandora’s Lament,” the design of the show was meant to mirror the mythical Greek story of Pandora’s box. 

“(The) box opens, bad spirits come out — the color guard (are) the spirits — and the band kind of works through the spirits to capture them,” Mr. Buchen said. 

As the band shifted through the show’s movements, the music’s tone changed to express the story’s progression. In the first movement, the band played a softer tone to convey the temporary peace they were experiencing. During this movement, the color guard members were hidden behind a black box.

In the second movement, the music got more intense and suspenseful as the band was affected by the evil spirits from the box. Here, the color guard emerged from their box and spread around the field as if they were negative energy infesting the peace the band members had. 

In the third, and final movement, the tone was more lighthearted and magical sounding as the band was victorious in sending the spirits back into the box. To match the triumphant music, the color guard found their way back behind their black prop, leaving the band in peace once again. 

The show was entertaining, as the color guard’s choreography was intricate and impressive when paired with the marching band formations. The band was balanced and pleasant to listen to. The music choice matched the tone of the show, and the movements were perfect for what was being expressed. 

Like any sport or performing group, the marching band and color guard had challenges they had to overcome and new techniques to learn this year in order to make themselves the best they could be.

“At the beginning (of the season), it was rough because we had mostly new members, so it was like everyone was learning from scratch, but now, we’re winning second place at almost every competition,” said freshman color guard member, Tahira Bennett. 

Perfecting such an intricate and elaborate show and overcoming challenges required many hours of intense practice. Being able to perform in front of the community was a testament to the countless hours of work and dedication that students have put into the production throughout the past few months. 

“(We practice on) Monday, Wednesday and Friday, until six in the afternoon. We’ve done lots of little ceremonies. We’ve been to several competitions. We’re there on Saturday sometimes,” Cooper Bridenball, a freshman and trumpet player in the band, said. 

As a closing to the annual showcase, Mr. Buchen thanked the staff, parents and booster club members who have helped the marching band and color guard to be so successful this year.

Since the showcase marked the end of the season, it was less stressful and more laid back than their previous competitions, allowing the performing students to have fun and enjoy playing together one last time while showcasing their skills to loved ones.

All the hard work the performing students have put in this year has paid off, from successful competitions to a final showcase performance to close the season. It is clear that the marching band and color guard’s dedication to their talents is what makes this season unforgettable.