Conestoga Brings It In A Band Battle

A word to the wise for high school marching bands in the Central Conference. Don't bring it on until you see this video.

As Friday night's season opener between turned into a shellacking for Owen J. Roberts, the OJR band decided to take on the 'Stoga Marching Band in a little cross field musical showdown featuring "Louie Louie."

Music Copyright rules keep us from posting the Louie Louie video here but what we can show you is part of the secret to 'Stoga's success in the musical smack down Teamer Field saw in the waning minutes of Friday's Football game.

Drum Major Jenna Sharples is a senior and one of three drum majors chosen to lead the band this fall. Fellow senior Natalie Purinton and Junior Joey Warner were all chosen from a field of about a dozen students who auditioned to be drum majors.

Jenna Sharples happened to be the one with the baton in the fourth quarter when the good-natured but fiercely competitive musical smack talk started.

The Owen J. Roberts band (who presented an outstanding "Music of James Bond" show during the pregame) could not have know the kind of energy Sharples unleashes to inspire the drums. "If we want the band at 100 percent energy we have to bring 200 percent," Warner explains.

All three drum majors say they need to bring twice the energy of the band members to keep the energy up.  It's hot out there in August and cold in the stands by the end of the season in November.  Conestoga's band is also big compared to some other area high schools and the drum majors not only conduct the band during their shows... they rally the band members in the stand to help pump up the crowd when a game might start to lull or when their team scores.

"I love it," Sharples tells Patch "I get up in the morning and I get to go band-it's gonna be awesome!"  Sharples auditioned for the job and won it as a junior, coming to the Drum Major role from Color Guard. She has extensive musical experience too. She plays clarinet and piano, is a vocalist and performs in musical theater.

She says the most fun for her "is probably dancing in the stands. I love it."  The most difficult part is getting everyone (in such a big band) focused on a common goal.

Sharples, fellow senior Natalie Purinton and junior Joey Warner agree work as a team in the stands and on the field bringing enough enthusiasm and energy to fire up a band and (possibly power a small town for a week).

The band practices as much as the football team over the summer. Practices start in June and there is an intensive band camp. The fall practice season started on August 12, the same time that varsity sports teams begin fall workouts.

"Marching band definitely is a sport," Sharples says.