All Together Now – Silver Tarpon Band Reports

By LARRY GAGE
Special to the PRESS

It’s been all percussion so far this summer, until this week.  On Wednesday, July 15, the frontal ensemble and battery were joined by the rest of the Silver Tarpon Marching Band in the two main rehearsal halls of Port Isabel High School.

The Press found Silver Tarpon band members in an enthusiastic frame of mind, before the whole band assembled inside for the first time this summer, and a few of them shared their thoughts on the upcoming marching season.

Freshman Bobby Cantu, who plays in the frontal ensemble of the percussion section, missed most of the practices before this week with an excused absence.  “I’ve been gone with the family.  I was here for one day and now I’m back.  It feels great now that I’m in high school.” Cantu’s main instrument is the xylophone and this is actually his second year as a member of the frontal ensemble.  He was brought up last year as an eighth-grader.

Freshman and first-year band member Jose Pablo Gonzalez is a clarinetist and he also reports that he is ready to go. “I’m excited.  I’m expecting it to be challenging on all of us … to do our part.”

“I’m ready – I feel like it’s going to be a good season,” said junior Dale Medina, who plays 3rd bass drum.  As a bass drummer, “It’s really important to stay on the beat, and staying in line.  If you hit the bass drummer in front of you, or the (one) in back of you, it can cause chaos.  And it hurts!”

The whole business hurts less if the individual band member is in some kind of good physical condition when the actual marching starts in the main parking lot behind the high school.  Beginning on the first day of outdoor practices the entire band does two laps around the lot before any playing or marching takes place.

Medina says he’ll be ready for that, too.  “I’ve been running for about a month – two miles every day.  I’m ready to go.”

Another form of excused absence is work.  Medina has a summer job but expects to make most practices from now on.

Phillip Joe Canales, another junior, is a tenor drummer and he was also pumped and eager to get started Wednesday morning as band members gathered outside the band hall.  “It looks like it’s going to be a good day.  A lot of people are here already and it looks good so far.  I feel like the drum line’s going to come along pretty well this year.”

Head Director of Bands in the Port Isabel school system, Scott Hartsfield, reported that he still doesn’t have the music for the whole show just yet.  “We’re a little behind schedule but I think we’re going to be O.K.  The wind part just came in yesterday and that’s the last (3rd) part, but the drum parts for Part 3 have not been written yet.  Hopefully we’ll have that for the start of next week.”

Close track of attendance is kept and Hartsfield said attendance so far this summer is very high.  “We take attendance and find out who’s here and who’s not.  All we ask is that the kids let us know where they’re at, and where they’re going, so we can plan.”

A Monday through Friday practice schedule will be maintained through August 21.  Classes will start Monday, August 24.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2015/07/24/all-together-now-silver-tarpon-band-reports/

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