D'Evelyn takes sixth straight marching band title - #lakewoodnews

Going into the state marching band finals on Halloween night, D'Evelyn Junior Senior High School's band was in third place.

Everyone in the band, including first-year band director Becky Paschke, was nervous.

"The kids worked really hard all year and were really committed," said Paschke. "They had all put their trust and faith in me."

And just as if that had been the plan, the 53-student band hit its peak that night on the Grand Junction field, capturing its sixth straight championship in the 2A division.

"Standing and waiting for the award announcements was probably the most nervous time," said senior Abbey McSwain, a marimba player in her fourth year with the band. "It was a really great moment when it was announced we won."

The school's previous band director, Steve Martin, had led the school to five victories. In his last year Paschke helped students with marching and visuals.

"So many things are constantly happening in a band, from booking buses to costumes," Paschke said. "My staff and the community of parents is awesome. These kid's parents are so involved in everything."

The staff assistants were Marvin Goodwin, Rob Even, James Lesley, Abe Eng, and Jeff and Courtney DesMarteau.

Band camp begins in late July, and that's when the group started planning the performance. Together, Paschke and the group came up with "The Friendly Skies" as their performance. In it, the band tells the story of a plane trip, including flight attendants helping with boarding, takeoff and landing, and even some turbulence along the way. The performance was set to Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony."

Students worked on fine-tuning the performance throughout the season, culminating in their win in Grand Junction.

"All that work, all that pressure paid off," said freshman Seth Reisinger, a trumpet player in his second year with the band. "I was new last year, and it was fun to watch the new members this year learn."

Teamwork is one of the keys to D'Evelyn's string of victories, and Paschke, staff and students are already thinking about next year's performance.

"There's a really cool camaraderie that we build throughout the season," said sophomore Emily Smith, a clarinet player in her third year with the band. "There was a lot of emotion."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/DEvelyn-takes-sixth-straight-marching-band-title,239437