During our Homecoming game last Friday. Carolina Forest High School’s Marching Band performed a dazzling show. The Carolina Forest Band spends countless hours preparing for their performances and shows. Many do not realize the hard work and dedication that is involved. Although COVID-19 dampered their season these past three years, they are fully back in the groove this year. There are two special events that the band spends time preparing for: Homecoming and graduation. 

Our CF Marching Band’s senior drum majors for the 2022-23 school year are Vanessa Scotti and Alayna Williams. Both provide leadership and a musical soul to help their fellow members excel.

This year’s band theme is the “Queen’s Gambit,” which was chosen by the Carolina Forest Band Directors, Mark Roddy and Ben Anderson. 

Williams described last year’s theme as light-hearted and upbeat, and the senior class wanted a slightly different and darker theme this year for their season.

Scotti commented, “Our band directors loved it once they heard it. It’s a theme that wasn’t very popular at the time, so we thought it would be cool to try it out and do what no one else was doing.”

The band spent lots of time and effort into this year’s performance. All band members participated in a three week long band camp in the summer preparing for their show. They also spend about twelve hours rehearsing every school week.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has ruined their opportunities of getting a full marching band season and performing for a crowd, they are back. 

Casey Green, a CFHS band alumni, stated, “These kids have overcome a lot in the past three years with the COVID-19 pandemic. They haven’t been able to perform for their Panther community for three years until now! Because of that, this marching band season feels really special.”

Scotti added, “It felt great being on the field for the first time since it’s been almost three years without performing for a crowd.” 

Although being a part of the Carolina Forest Band takes commitment and dedication, their hard work pays off. A responsive crowd makes everyone so excited to play their instruments and be able to put on a great performance for the Carolina Forest community. Winning and placing at competitions brings everyone so much joy and motivates them to work even harder to get more and more better. 

Williams shared, “Our hard work makes the awards so much more worth it.” 

Not only does the band coordinate cheers with the cheerleaders, they also perform a fan favorite, “Sweet Caroline” during the game. The Black Hole, our student section, loves this. 

Jenna Graziano, a senior who is very school-spirited, exclaimed, “I love when the band plays “Sweet Caroline” for the student section. It gets us so excited and pumped up for the game. It gets us, students, parents in the stands, and cheerleaders on our feet to cheer for our Panthers.” 

Everyone is looking forward to all of the half-time shows from our band during football games as they leave the crowd speechless, especially with this year’s theme. Good luck at all competitions! Go, Panthers!