“Whenever they announced it, Addie Crawford and I were bawling our eyes out,” senior and drum major Rayne Haesly said. “It showed where we’ve come from and how far we’ve come.”
At the UIL Area Marching Band competition last week, the band placed fourth and secured a spot at 5A State for the first time in Argyle history. Today at 5 p.m., the band will perform in the preliminary round at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Results from preliminaries will be announced at 8:45 p.m.
“Last year we didn’t make it, and it was really devastating,” Obrzut said. “But this year, we made it and we advanced quickly. I think that just shows how the band worked so hard.”
The show includes a variety of music, from “Photograph” by Cody Fry, “Dance: I” by Oliver Davis, “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand, and “Picture Studies: Pigeons in Flight” by Adam Schoenberg.
“The show starts with a solo and it’s very lyrical,” Obrzut said. “In the past years, we’ve had a strong opening. This year, it slowly leads into it, so the impact moment in Part One is a lot bigger.”
Rehearsals for the 2024 season started in July and will continue until the band goes to Bands of America Grand Nationals in mid-November.
“Not to be cheesy, but hard work gets you places,” Obrzut said. “We work to be able to win things because it’s hard.”
Junior Obrzut and seniors Haesly, Pascal Omotayo, and Addison Crawford served as drum majors during the 2024 season.
“Being a drum major, there are a lot of responsibilities,” Haesly said. “A big responsibility for me is always having to be there, always having to give it my best effort. I overcome it by knowing friends are with you, going through the same thing. Knowing it’s all worth it in the end. Knowing you’re gonna remember this for the rest of your life.”
This year’s theme – “A Picture’s Worth” – celebrates the memories students make during their time in the band.
“For the show, the main focus was keeping the memories that we make,” Obrzut said. “Marching band is very memorable. This is a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun times with your friends.”
The results of the preliminary round can be found on the UIL Marching Band website, as well as the Argyle Band Instagram page.
“I want to be able to say, ‘we didn’t just advance to state. We did well at state,’” Obrzut said. “It just comes down to how hard we can work.”
