For the first time in a decade, the marching band and color guard placed first at the annual Cupertino Tournament of Bands held on Oct. 25. They earned caption awards for high visual and high music.
In the 5A class, the 200-plus member SHS marching band came in first with a score of 79.150 points, followed by Cupertino with 78.475 and Homestead with 77.725.
Over the past few weeks, the band has been working hard to improve its music and visual skills in a show called “The Thread Between Us.” Director Jason Shiuan said the show excelled through its musically matching choreography and overall general effect.
Senior drum major Matthew Liu said, “In that show, we were able to execute a lot of these elements that we were implementing. We had a great showing, and I think a lot of us are really proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
The band received praise from the judges for its clear sound and large visual vocabulary. Shiuan said the band is already working toward improving a majority of the criticisms they received from the judges at this show.
With less than a week left in the season, the band is continuing to rehearse and refine the show to have the best possible showing in the 5A category at the NorCal Supershow in Sacramento on Nov. 8.
“I think there’s a lot of potential in this ensemble. This is the furthest we’ve been in terms of how much we are complete with the show,” Shiuan said. “We have a week off [from competitions], so that really allows us to finish it off.”
The final competition at Sacramento will feature much more competition, including Lincoln, Liberty and Grants Pass High Schools.
Despite the top-flight competition, the group is still optimistic about its chances at the event.
“If we can hit all the things that we want to and be really efficient with our rehearsals, we’ll have another great performance at Sacramento,” Liu said.
Upcoming shows include Nov. 7 at the football game against MacDonald, the last time to catch them locally. The next day, they head to the season finale at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium.
