The sun was bright, shining directly into the eyes of spectators in the stands. However, that didn’t stop the cheers and high energy of the crowd early Saturday morning as the marching band lined up on the far side of the football field.
They were smaller than other bands in their class— only 30 compared to others with 50 or more—but they stood tall with their black capes and feathers rustling in the wind. Keeping in step, they made their way to the middle of the field, where a team of students, parents, and other adults quickly set up the stationary instruments and a platform where a student dressed as Edgar Allan Poe sat.
Then, at the direction of Drum Major Madelyn Ledford, they began to play, producing a sound that didn’t seem as though it was coming from the smaller band.
This wasn’t the first time The Pride of Chandler played their show “The Raven,” but it certainly counted for a lot. It was the first year the band - along with The Spirit of Stroud - competed at the Oklahoma Bandmaster’s Association 1A-3A Championships. The notoriously tough competition saw over 30 bands compete on Oct. 12, paring it down to the top 12 that would go on to compete in the finals.
Chandler came out of the prelims as the Class 2A State Champions, along with picking up Outstanding Visuals and Outstanding General Effect. They beat The Antlers from Deer Creek in second and Holdenville, which took third. The Pride of Chandler ranked fourth overall.
In the finals, they ranked 11 out of 12 bands but still considered the day a win as they walked away as the 2A State Champs.
“Not that I had little expectations, but they achieved a lot more even than I thought they were going to Saturday,” said Director Zachary Fisher. “I knew it had a chance to be really good and go really, really well, but it went better even than I could have imagined it going.”
He added that what he is most proud of is that the band scored third overall in visuals during the prelims, placing them over really good schools such as Perkins-Tryon and Paul’s Valley. This is especially impressive, considering that the Pride of Chandler was one of the smallest bands at OBA.
“The fact that we go out there and not just compete, but win with a third of the size, especially when a lot of times size has a lot of bearing on that GE factor, is just really amazing. I could not be more proud,” he said.
The Spirit of Stroud also put in a good show, ranking seventh in Class 2A in the prelims with a score of 62.750. he band hasn’t been to an OBA competition since 2001, meaning it wasn’t something the students or their parents were used to, according to Director Kevin Couch.
“We’re stepping out into new territory and really extending ourselves to get better,” he said. “I’m excited about their progress and their growth and I’m just extremely proud of them.”
“I think the kids have been responding well and they’re doing a great job. And I can see the fire in their eyes and they’re ready to accept this challenge,” Couch said in an interview before OBA.