Hello again Titans!

This past weekend the THSMB performed at Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania in the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships (TOB ACCs). The weather was cold and wet but the Titans didn’t allow the conditions to dampen their pride or their execution. The Color Guard made sure the wind would not take their flags sailing and crashing to the ground halfway across the stadium. The band made sure to project their sound and perform at their highest level. With the teaching of the various techs and Mr. John D. Karos the band snagged a score of 93.40 and 6th place out of 17 bands from all around the Atlantic Coast.

The day had started off with high energy and high hopes. High hopes for a chance in the top five and high hopes that the rain and wind would stave just long enough for the band to perform. While the latter did happen, thankfully, the former did not. Although, while not in the top five, the 2017-18 THSMB broke the previous school record of 7th place and a score of 92.60. The performance given by the band was, by the mouths of Mr. Karos and Mr. Lucas Hogan – one of the head techs – “one of the best Tuscarora has given. Well done everyone.” Mr. Berry also came out to show his support.

The show presented by Tuscarora this year held the title ‘The Storyteller’. The show begins off slow, and then cascades into the moment Captain Ahab’s ship is destroyed by the Great White Whale – Moby Dick. Through various narrations of the characters from the Storyteller herself and the characters from the stories told a beautiful tale of how stories are a major part of our lives is told. The second story is a solemn one, one of love lost. Of a man who fell in love with a Nymph on the Isle. She told him to stay, to not go, for she could make him an immortal. Alas, his homesickness overcame the love for the Nymph and he left the isle, returning to his home city. The third movement tells of a woman begging for her life for “One Thousand and One Nights”. It starts off fast, fearful and then slowly cascades into a feeling of freedom, an indescribable joy as Shahrazad is told she is able to live, her life no longer in peril.

The show is one of indescribable beauty and one that elicits a feeling of empathy and a feeling of want. A want to know more, a want to learn of the fates seen by the characters of these stories. The storyteller goes on to remind us that we will forget who we are and why we’re here if stories didn’t exist. The Storyteller is a tale to be remembered for years to come. A tale that may someday have a story all its own.

Standings for the various groups within the band:

Drum Major – Katherine Fetting: 4th

Percussion: 3rd

Woodwinds: 6th

Brass: 2nd

Color Guard: 8th