The Montezuma-Cortez High School marching band placed third at the state competition on Monday, marking the first time in five years that the marching band has made it to finals in the competition.
The band competed in the 2A competition in Pueblo, squaring off against 12 other bands in Colorado. Montezuma-Cortez’s final score was 69.150.
William Winslow, the marching band director, said the band got off to a “good start” this season, winning their first few competitions in September and October.
They are also scoring higher than they have in the past year.
The band placed in the top four during the semifinals, advancing to the finals that evening. The band placed third overall.
“The band has medaled many times, but not necessarily in the recent few years. It’s the first time we’re back to the finals in five years,” said Winslow, who’s in his third season as band director.
When the awards are given, the marching band members, their directors and coaches stood out on the field while their scores were announced.
“It was really exciting to be out there for that because we hadn’t been at finals the past few years, and it was really fun to have the medals and be able to give them out to all the kids,” Winslow continued.
Winslow said the band has a theme every year that they base their music and design principles around. This year’s theme was titled, “Gold Rush.”
“It was basically like a mining theme, a little bit Western, and a lot of gold themed stuff,” Winslow said. “I like to say that it celebrates the history of gold mining in Colorado.”
The 68-member band performed four gold-themed songs, including: “Golden Hour” by JVKE, “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young, “Gold” by Imagine Dragons and “Ecstasy of Gold” by composer Ennio Morricone.
In past years, Winslow said that way in which the band members move on the field, called a drill, is hired out for choreography. This year, however, Winslow wrote the drill himself.
“It’s definitely better than what we’ve had the past couple of years, and I was able to have flexibility with it too,” Winslow said.
Some of the props were mountain landscapes, and the band members played the part of the miners.
“As the show goes along, they find the gold,” Winslow explained. “Some kids go out to the props and they flip them around to have gold on the backside, to indicate that they’re discovered it.”
The band features three main sections: wind players, percussion and the front ensemble, which plays the bigger instruments that won’t move around as much.
The band also includes the color guard, which spins flags and does dance concepts while the band plays. The color guard is coached by Robin Sitton.
Winslow said he participated in high school band in Montana, but didn’t really get the marching band experience until college when he joined Drum Corps International, a top-level marching band that college students can participate in during the summer.
Other faculty involved in the band are assistant director Chris Moraga, Andrew Campo, Preston Sitton, the band boosters, Corinne Sandner and Winslow’s wife, Morgan Winslow.
“I haven’t lived in Cortez for a long time, this is just my third year, but I love to see the history of the program, and I think it’s so cool that so many people in the community have been involved in it at some point,” Winslow said. “They’ve been a very good program for a very long time, and it’s really known statewide … we’re not necessarily on top, but going in that direction is really exciting.”
