By David Deluca
On Saturday, October 12, your Van Horn Soaring Eagle Band participated in the University Interscholastic League Region 22 Marching Contest. This contest features many of the best high school marching bands in West Texas.
The members of the band have been working on their show, called The Fantastic Voyage, by Luke McMillan, since August. On Saturday, they were proud to show the results of their work in front of their many fans and the UIL judges. Unfortunately, the performance that afternoon had some problems and the judges’ ratings reflected those problems.
Band director David M. DeLuca said, “The students and I were disappointed by the ratings, but we thank the UIL judges for evaluating our performance and helping us to identify areas to improve. I am personally proud of the progress our band has been making and I know that the future of the Soaring Eagle Band is bright. Our band’s greatest asset, besides the band members themselves, is the tremendous support we receive from the school and community. For example, the football and volleyball teams and their coaches attended the marching contest to cheer us on. In my nearly three decades of teaching band, I have never experienced such enthusiastic support. Eagle Pride Never Dies!”
The UIL marching contest is not the end of the season for your Soaring Eagle Band. The band will be performing on the field and in the stands for the Eagles football team as they begin District play. Look and listen for the band at every game for the remainder of the football season.
The band is also looking forward to its Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 17. This concert, at 7:00 pm in the Karen D. Young Memorial Auditorium, will also feature the 2019 debut of the Van Horn Junior High School bands. The public is invited to this annual rite of the holiday season.
The spring semester also has opportunities for the Eagle Band to excel. In April, the High School Band will go to the UIL Region 22 Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation. The band will continue to build upon the progress made this year and are confident that strong ratings will be earned in this event. Throughout the spring semester, the members of the band will also be working toward earning the support necessary for an exciting trip to California in June.
DeLuca said, “We thank everyone for their continued support of the Soaring Eagle Band and we hope you will join us on our Fantastic Voyage for the remainder of the season.”
