Day in and day out students work hard into the hours of the night and often wake up as early as five in the morning, dedicating so much time to the marching band, showing their spirit and passion for this extracurricular. 

The first person I got the chance to speak to was one of the marching band’s fearless student leaders/drum majors, Anna Grace Schrorer (12th grade).

Vanessa Diaz: Tell me about major achievements during this band season.

Anna Grace Schrorer: [At the] Monarch festival we got first place. This is the first competition of the season. And then Legacy festival we got fifth. Douglas County we got first. Regionals we got third place and state overall was fifth place. We were also invited to do the Broncos halftime show [and that] was pretty cool. 

VD: Tell me more about that!

AGS: We combined with Lakewood High school and Legacy High School and we […] had a rehearsal a couple days before the game happened and we just practiced with the other bands: the Stampede (the official Broncos marching band) and the Broncos cheerleaders and the skydivers. We made a Colorado flag on the field and held up a little light orb that would glow in the dark so during the halftime show. Everything was dark except for us. We made a Colorado flag and an “I <3 CO.”

VD: Can you tell me a little bit about your experience in marching band this season?

AGS: I was a drum major last year so going into this season I had an idea of what I was doing. [This] was definitely a younger band so I knew that would be a challenge but overall, the freshman did really well. We had a big freshman class this year and not as many upperclassmen so that balance definitely impacted the season but we’re still growing as a band so overall the season was really good and was a good experience.

VD: What hopes do you have for the future of marching band?

AGS: For Centaurus, I just want them to keep doing really well because we have a really good reputation and the band community is really, really good. I hope it continues to be that way in the future. For myself, I don’t plan on doing marching band in the future, but I hope to continue music. 

VD: Would you say your experiences as a drum major versus being [on the field] differ/how do you think that gives you a different perspective?

AGS: I think it does. I think I have a little bit of a better sense of the show overall and how the parts move together. The drum major is definitely a bridge between the staff and students. [We have to} balance what the staff want and then what the students want but I do really like that and I like being in a position of leadership where I can help the band in that way. 

The next student I had the opportunity to speak to was not only a student in Color Guard but also someone who commutes from New Vista just for the marching band experience at Centaurus: Nova Simich, (Grade 12).

VD: Can you tell me about major accomplishments/achievements during the season?

Nova Simich: I guess for me personally one huge accomplishment was being able to toss five on rifle, which is five rotations, and also having a duet with my girlfriend Catherine.

VD: Awesome! Because you go to a different school I’m curious as to why you choose [to participate in] the Centaurus marching band?

NS: Originally, I was going to Fairview, but the main reason that I switched was because some of my friends that also went to Centaurus all convinced me to switch [to the marching band].

VD: Nice! How do you feel about this season in general?

NS: I feel really good, even though we placed differently from previous seasons, I feel like our band has improved immensely.

VD: What hopes do you have for the future of marching band? 

NS: I just hope [Centaurus] continues to get better, which they already are, and that they just continue to take off and be the best band they could possibly be.  For me, personally, I hope to, going into college, either join a college marching band or draw a winter guard that’s separate from any school.  

The next person I was able to interview is new to the band: Ari Dhikari (10th grade).

VD: Can you tell me about major accomplishments in the band this season either for you with the marching band itself? 

Ari Dhikari:  Well, since it was my first season of being in a school extracurricular like that, I met a lot of people and made new friends. I felt more included overall in the school community. I think everyone grew as a whole. 

VD: That’s great! How do you feel impacted and can you share some of your perspective about the season overall?

AD: I kind of went in not really knowing what I was doing at all. I didn’t entirely know what marching band was, but my friend told me to join so I joined. At first, I thought “maybe I could be doing my homework right now,” but over time I viewed it more positively. 

VD: What hopes do you have for the future of marching band?

AD:  I hope there will be more people coming in through these years to continue what a bunch of people have started.

VD: Anything else you would like to add? 

AD: For marching band you don’t need to be amazingly musical to be able to join it. Everybody’s really nice and they’ll teach you everything.

VD:  Thank you so much for your time.

This final interview was with a bass drum player in the marching band: Greta Lillstrom (12th grade).

VD: Can you tell me about major accomplishments for achievements during the season? 

Greta Lillstrom: Our marching  show this year was called Masquerade, and it was written specifically for our band […] and was based off of a bunch of different classical pieces. It had one movement from Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. It was a sort of dubstep breakdown, having been specifically written for Centaurus. Centaurus is known for being a very musical band […] usually getting the best in music awards. Our first movement was called Pineapple Pole. The second movement was a Masquerade Waltz, which was one long waltz and was kind of dark and dramatic and fun. We placed fifth in state. Mr. V always tells us that no matter our placement, our score matters more, and our score improved from last year which was really good for Centaurus. We’ve been playing the music since rehearsals in May all the way through October. 

VD: How much of your time is dedicated to the band?

GL: It’s about two to three days a week with practices going from 6:00 to 9:00 and then Saturday rehearsals. 

VD: Wow! Pivoting to more of your personal opinion, how did you feel about this season in general?

GL: It was really cool to have a show that was personally written for us. It was just very interesting to get that aspect of musicality that we had never had before that was specific for our sound and what we were known for. […] The community is always great in band, and all my friends are pretty much in band just because we spend so much time together and have gone through around two weeks of band camp plus all of the rehearsals. Competitions are always my favorite and it’s just so much fun to be able to go out on the field and play our show and “put it all out there,” as we always say. This season was definitely different from last year because we had a big switch in the genre of our show theme. It was a very different experience and way of putting on a show. It was way harder to pull off which is why I felt like we did really good and we had a ton of potential. 

VD: 100%, what are some of the shows you guys have done in the past?

GL: Last year [our show] was The Light That Guides You. I was only in last year and this year’s shows but one of the shows in the past was Fly Away.

VD: Really cool! What hopes do you have for the future of marching band/next season? 

GL: As a graduating senior this year, I hope that the environment that was created at band, [along with] the community we built sticks […] and that [marching band] stays a great, safe place for people to be in as a fun environment.  

VD: Awesome thank you for your time!

A big thank you to all those who gave their time for this marching season and to be interviewed. 

Along with that, the Centaurus community thanks the members of the community: staff, Mr. V, parent volunteers and everyone behind the scenes for their passion, dedication, and effort to make this season enjoyable for everyone involved. We are so incredibly proud of the work our marching band does and cannot wait to see what the future holds. From personalized shows to marching at the Broncos halftime show, our Marching Warriors continue to strive for excellence, setting an example for the whole school. If you have a chance next year, I encourage you to check out the marching band show. They only get better! The band has community performances every year typically before regionals. 

And with that, the 2024 marching band season has officially come to an end. Congratulations on placing 5th at states Warriors!