CLAREMONT - The Stevens High
marching band
is ready for the football
season to begin.
And that
can't come any too soon for band
members who just completed
their two-week
Band Camp.
Two tough
weeks.
During
that span there were seven days devoted
to learning routines and
getting it all together before the opening football game against Newport
at
Monadnock Park Saturday.
outside staff of four, hired to work with, and drill
the band members.
And drill they did.
But they all survived.
The staff was led my Mike Sonia who was drill
design and marching instructor. Tracy Salazar
was music and drill instructor. Jodi Salazar was
majorette instructor and David Chandler was
percussion instructor.
Claremonters assisting were Nona Miller,
majorette instructor, and Barbara Burnard, flags
instructor.
Sonia's group didn't come without past
experience at drilling bands. It has helped train the
University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching
Band.
it wasn't much different at Claremont. The band
members were younger but they were required to
work just as hard as college band members.
When a mistake was made, Sonia wouldn't
entire band was involved at one point.
Sonia himself dropped down on occasion
and demonstrated the proper form involved
in doing pushups. That delighted band
members.
But it wasnot all drill, drill, drill.
Games were played.....learning games.
at Stevens High School Thursday night and
breakfast the next morning.
Local merchants donated all the food and
drinks.
Stevens Band Director Amy Golden was
proud of her group.
This was the first Band Campt at Stevens
in a number of years, she reported.
The hard work for the members of the
marching band is over.
Graduation time will come each Saturday
afternoon on the football field as the band goes
through the routines it learned during the
heat of August.
And that's probably when the unselfish
work done during Band Camp will be fully
realized, and appreciated.
This story originally appeared in the News
Leader, in August of 1993.