By Traci Chapman
Contributing Writer
The Pride of Piedmont marching band had a stellar season capped off with a state championship in the final performance and perfect scores leading into concert season.
The band took the top spot at Oklahoma Bandmasters Association’s 5A state contest, with a score of 81.90 overall. While the band was third after preliminaries among 15 bands, head director James Rivera said that fact lit a fire in students, who came back to give their best performance of the year in finals.
“After having a great performance during prelims, the students went into finals believing in themselves and in their show,” Rivera said. “Seeing their reactions after being named Grand Champions was the perfect ending to our competitive season and something I’ll never forget.”
OBA 5A was held Oct. 22 in Yukon; Piedmont returned to that venue Tuesday for OSSAA West Regionals, where they again excelled, with judges awarding them superior – or “1” – ratings across the board, the best possible.
OSSAA is different from most contests held during marching season, as it is not a competition between bands, but rather an assessment of a program individually. It is also part of a larger component that later includes ratings earned in concert band during the spring semester.
Piedmont’s 2021 program, “Door 13,” features themes of common fears and phobias and includes music from the Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” and more, Rivera said.
“When you enter ‘Door 13’ you go into a different dimension which brings these fears to life,” he said.
The 120-member band has competed in several contests this year, starting with the September Moore Outdoor Music Festival, where the band placed fourth; Deer Creek and Yukon high schools tied for third.
The band captured first in Class 5A at Yukon Invitational, winning fourth behind three much larger 6A bands – Mustang, Edmond North and Edmond Memorial; the following week Piedmont placed seventh at Mustang Invitational.
The band then participated in a small field competing at Deer Creek High School’s first-ever invitational, capturing third, before heading to OBA 5A last weekend.
It was an emotional season for staff and band members alike, Rivera said – not only because it was a busy time filled with several competitions, as well as playing at football games and as preparations for concert band loom. Piedmont, like other bands across the state, took the field this year in competition nearly two full years since last doing so because the 2020 marching season was canceled due to the novel coronavirus.
“We are all very happy to be back to competing this year – there seems to be a greater appreciation for what we have,” the director said. “The students and staff are focused on our goals and are working hard to achieve them every day.”
As the band prepared to head back to Piedmont at the conclusion of their OSSAA performance, it was bittersweet – and a time for Rivera and his staff to reflect on a season in ways like no other.
“Band students at Piedmont are some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with – they work tirelessly to perfect their music and marching during rehearsal and individually at home,” he said. “During the marching band season, they put in about 20 to 30 hours a week for practice, football games and competitions outside the regular school day.
“These are some of the hardest working individuals you could ever meet, all working toward a common goal,” Rivera said.
More information about Pride of Piedmont can be found on its website, located at https://piedmontbands.weebly.com/pride-of-piedmont-marching-band.html.
See photos in the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette and follow piedmontnewsonline.com for updates to local news and events.
