Everyone hears about the band and their halftime shows or sees them in the stands, all huddled together during pep rallies. However, not everyone realizes another major aspect of the band: competition band! Competition band (comp band) is a whole different world compared to football band or pep rallies. When you’re on the field, and football band practice is over, it’s time for comp band practice—the pressure gets real.
Senior Rena Kerndl stated, “Including both morning and after-school practices, I’d say around 12 hours a week.” This really shows how hard our band works, doing our best to make sure our shows meet competition standards. Junior Logan Robbins added, “We usually practice three to four times a week. Sometimes we work on Saturdays for around eight hours.” This statement further illustrates just how hard the competition band is working, hoping for another successful year. Senior and band captain Simon Adkins shared his thoughts on comp band: “We have a competition band, which is a more select group. We go to big competitions; last year, we went to the Bands of America Southeast Championship. We placed sixth and were finalists in our first-ever BOA appearance. That had never happened before. The whole band was very proud of us, and we were really proud of ourselves. Go Bob Jones band!”
Competition band practices take a toll on students. Junior Alexander Hayes described feeling “exhausted but good. Competitions are the highlight of the season. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” Another quote from senior Rena Kerndl describes how late they get home from competitions: “We get home between 2–5 in the morning. VERY late.”
The hard work pays off. Junior Alexander Hayes shared, “When the show is good and everyone is putting in effort, it’s completely worth it. You make memories you can never replace. I constantly reminisce about the 2022 season. Last year was rough, but when the show and the people are good, band is my favorite thing in the world.”
This year’s competition band is set to go far! They have an amazing group of kids working as hard as they can to master the show before competition season. Their first competition is coming up on the 21st! For this upcoming show, they have three out of four movements ready. They are so excited to go and perform these pieces they’ve been working on and hopefully come in first!
