Tiger marching band receives high honors

(Photos submitted) The Spencer High School Tiger marching band earned second place honors at the North Central Iowa Marching Invitational held last Saturday.

Spencer High School's Tiger marching band was recently rewarded for its hard work and efforts this season as members received a second place trophy in Class 3A at the North Central Iowa Marching Invitational held on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Fort Dodge.

The band performed a program that featured music by the world--renowned "Cirque du Soleil" circus troop of Canada. The band is under the direction of Kurt Schwarck, assisted by director Janet Boyens, and field commanders Alyssa Carlson, Morgan Kramer and Devin van Holsteijn. The Tiger color guard is under the direction of Diane Hrubes, and the Tiger drum line is under the direction of Paul Jepson.

The format of the festival is one in which education is stressed. Each marching band participates in a 90-minute clinic run by clinicians who are prominent in the field of marching. Following the clinic portion of the festival, the bands then compete in open competition for trophy placement and ratings. Spencer finished second, behind the marching band from Saydel. Groups are judged by a panel of four judges who critique the group under the captions of music execution, music general effect, marching and maneuvering execution, and marching and maneuvering general effect. The scores from these four judges are then combined for the overall rating.

The Spencer Tiger color guard choreographed a performance as part of the entire Tiger performance.

"This was an excellent learning opportunity for our kids," Schwarck said. "The chance to expose them to some of the most prominent marching band experts in Iowa is a huge thing. The clinicians are beginning to look forward to working with our group because our kids follow instructions exactly and try their hardest to apply what they are being taught immediately. This is a credit to students and our community. Another fantastic aspect of this festival is its positive atmosphere. The bands all support each other and encourage each other, which makes the experience one where kids build confidence in themselves and in what they do. That translates into a higher level of performance both now and in the future."

This was the band's second appearance at the NCI Marching Invitational.

The Tiger marching band will be on the road again on Saturday, Oct. 11 when it heads to Cherokee to participate in the IHSMA State Marching Band Contest.