Maricopa High School musicians will get in step at Band Camp

The Maricopa High School Marching Band will begin their march to greatness next week when they hold their annual Band Camp at the high school.

Camp culminates in a concert July 25.

“Band Camp is basically a ‘preseason’ training type of camp for our marching band,” MHS Music Director and Fine Arts Department Chair Ivan Pour said. “Each day is split into two parts. In the early morning, we are outside and we teach basic marching skills, including teaching the students our corps-style roll-step, how to turn and change directions, and most importantly, we work on developing foot timing and maintaining the marching style while playing.”

The camp will give marching band and colorguard members a chance to come together as a team, as well as learn important technical skills they can utilize throughout the year. Campers will receive instruction from coaches, as well as peers as they learn the proper steps, techniques and music needed to succeed.

 “In the late morning and early afternoon, we move indoors and do a lot of foundational work on musical fundamentals, focusing on tone, tuning, as well as individual technical skills,” he said. “Our colorguard students cover basic movement skills on flag, rifle and saber and work to have as much of their halftime choreography learned during camp as possible as well.”

Pour is hoping to see nearly 130 students attend the camp this year. When the 2014-15 school year ended, MHS had 127 students requesting to be in one of just three band classes offered. Since those three classes make up the marching band for the year, Pour asks all of the hopeful students to attend camp.

“We also take advantage of the extended rehearsal time and work to get as much of our music performance-ready as we can,” Pour said. “We usually have the fight song, national anthem, the first movement of the halftime music and a number of pep tunes ready to perform by the end of camp.”

Like most years, the MHS band will feature plenty of new faces. However, Pour is fortunate enough to have a veteran core he can rely on.

***ADVERTISEMENT***“We have a great group of student leaders,” Pour said. “Most of them attended the Summer Marching Academy run through the Arizona Academy Drum and Bugle Corps last month and worked as a group on leadership, teambuilding and some basic teaching skills. For our camp, the student leaders run ice-breakers and also lead team building activities during the last 30 minutes of each day of camp. I am very proud that this aspect is almost entirely student run.”

The camp will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 20-July 24. At the end of the camp, parents will be able to come see what their young performers have learned during a show put on by the band July 25 at 10 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center.