300 Words: Delone Catholic Marching Band


by Maggie Rink

Delone Catholic Marching Band. Made up of 33 students and their main instructor Brian Yealy. Formed from a motley group, these students come together each year to bring about a uniformed show for the audience’s entertainment every Friday night under the lights.

These members give up their summer every year to put together a show to please the audience. Practices start the third week of June and run all the way through November.

In the middle of July, these musicians take a week out of their summer to spend long, over 12 hour days, preparing for the marching show. Students are out in the summer sun for hours learning and practicing the routine.

The work does not end there. Every Tuesday and Thursday during the school year the students have practice from 6:30 pm to 9 pm.

Days can be hot and full of hard work. Learning steps, movements, and group work seems to be a daunting task.

Sometimes it feels like no progress is being made at all. These students might work for hours without seeing any immediate results.

But in the end, all the hard work pays off.


At an early season game, musicians still perform a polished routine.
The show starts coming together and students learn how to play their music better each and every day. Dynamics, the expression of music, starts to show, and the visual aspects come together.

Throughout the season, the band is not simply a band anymore. The group of students form an unbreakable bond with each other.

By the end of the season, the students know each other strengths and weaknesses. Someone who may have seem shy in the beginning will become one of the loudest members there.


That is the best thing about Marching Band at Delone Catholic. No matter the person, there is always a place for them and their talents. 

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