By the time the Blue Hawks took the field for their final competition Oct. 24, students had memorized music, learned marching formations and spent months bringing a ghostly show to life.
Their performance of “Echoes in the Night” earned the combined Marshwood and Somersworth marching band a silver medal at the Maine Band Directors’ Association finals at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford. The band received four stars in every judging category except drum major, where it earned the highest rating of five stars.
“I think we did really well,” said Patrick Graichen, a Marshwood High School junior and one of the band’s two drum majors. “We performed our hearts out and left everything on the field.”
The Blue Hawks include students in grades seven through 12 from Marshwood and Somersworth middle and high schools. Their name brings together Marshwood’s hawk mascot and Somersworth’s blue school color, according to instrumental music director David Graichen.
Building a show for those students begins long before the first fall performance.
Planning typically starts in December or January of the previous school year, David Graichen said. Staff choose a theme and music, secure copyright permissions, hire an arranger and develop the marching formations, colors and props that will carry the show onto the field.
For “Echoes in the Night,” that meant combining music with costumes and scenery designed to give the performance a ghostly appearance. Students wore chiffon overlays, and volunteers helped build 10 chairs that performers could stand on to create different visual layers. When turned around, the chairs revealed gravestones bearing the names of the band’s 10 seniors.
The music opened with “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” featuring Josh Herron on synthesized organ. “Danse Macabre” featured Luci Cox on clarinet, while “Dies Irae” featured Ozzie Gilbert on sousaphone along with a brass and woodwind feature. The show closed with “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral,” featuring Patrick Graichen on trumpet.
Students begin learning the physical demands of the show during band camp in August, working on marching while memorizing both their music and their positions on the field. Regular rehearsals run from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, with additional practice before football games and competitions.
An average show day, including rehearsal, travel and the event itself, lasts about 10 hours, David Graichen said.
After one last week of performances at middle schools and football games, the band headed to finals, where they earned silver.
“I was very proud of the students. They worked really well together this season,” David Graichen said. “They are such a fun group, and they worked really hard.”
For senior Merina Vlcek, a drum major, the show marked the conclusion of six years with the marching band.
“As a drum major, I am able to see the show on the field as well as off the field. Since the beginning, I have seen so much improvement from our band and commitment to make it better,” Vlcek said. “Though you could always use another week, I think that finals went incredible, and everyone left everything they could on the field. I am very proud of everyone who participated in this season of marching band.”
After finals, students gathered for a late-night dinner at Applebee’s, wearing medals from each season they had competed in, Vlcek said.
The students have more performances ahead. The band will participate in holiday and Memorial Day parades. Patrick Graichen and fellow Blue Hawks member Rosalee Stoddard also are scheduled to march with Macy’s Great American Marching Band in this year’s Thanksgiving parade, David Graichen said.
Gilbert, a senior and the band’s brass section leader, is looking forward to seeing how younger members shape the band after he graduates.
“There are some very inspiring and talented young individuals in the Blue Hawks and I can’t wait to see how they choose to lead it in the coming years,” Gilbert said.