From July 22 to Aug. 9, new and returning members of the Mighty Cardinal Band attended band camp, arriving at school at 8 a.m. in order to practice the music and marching routines necessary for the show piece. This year’s show is called “Metamorphosis” and is used for half-time performances at football games as well as UIL competitions.

Along with finetuning technical skills, team bonding is another focus of band camp according to senior and head drum major Olivia Becker.

“One main thing that I love about band camp is the friendships that we make, especially with the freshmen,” Becker said. “The freshmen get to know other people in the same grade and upperclassmen before school starts, so they already have a community in high school, which is really nice and something that most ninth graders don’t get coming into high school.”

Band camp and marching band are new experiences for most freshmen, so it’s the responsibility of upperclassmen to step up and guide them. Senior and trumpet section leader Anand Thiagarajan feels like he’s learned a lot about leadership.

“I remember when I was a freshman and how much I had to learn,” Thiagarajan said. “Now I have experience as a senior, so it’s kind of fun having younger students to mentor. When [the freshmen] need help with anything, I’m able to be there and I know how everything works. It kind of feels weird because you can’t imagine them being three years younger than you. But they are and you have to understand that and adapt.”

For freshman and clarinet player Chase Hudlow, he had to learn how to memorize the music, which he finds difficult.

“I did not realize we were going to be trying to fully memorize the song,” Hudlow said. “I’m not good at memorization. Even during our concerts in middle school, I was always staring down at my papers.”

Another initial challenge Hudlow faced was that he only knew three people coming into band, making him feel out of place. However, he found band camp to be welcoming and an easy way to make friends.

Like Hudlow, Thiagarajan also enjoys how band camp offers time to spend with friends he hadn’t seen over summer.

“I think through music memorization and also the marching drill, we get closer,” Thiagarajan said. “On the marching field, we’re all right next to each other, so during breaks, we’ll just be talking and hanging out. I think it’s important to bond with your section and have a good relationship with everybody.”

Though there is plenty of time for making and bonding with friends, there is also time dedicated for outside practice. On a typical day, band members will be on the concrete marching field from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

With an hour and a half spent in the summer heat, the band adopted certain routines to stay cool. These include taking frequent water breaks, resting in the shade, wearing sunscreen and bringing handheld fans.

Whether outside in the heat or inside the band room, Becker learned that the camp gave her more time to be with the band and that especially as a senior, she should soak up every second of it.

“Band can be stressful and just a lot to handle, especially since I’m head drum major,” Becker said. “But band camp has taught me to find joy in what I do, no matter the circumstances.”