On Saturday, October 15, Lake Mary High School presented the Seminole County Marching Festival. Marching Festival is an annual event that gives all the bands in Seminole County the opportunity to perform for each other and the audience that comes out to see it before their Music Performance Assessment, or MPA. 

Each show that is performed is independent and new to the band every year. This year the Winter Springs Band of Gold performed their show “The Power of You” which features songs such as “Who Are You?” by The Who, “Everybody Needs Somebody (You, You, You)” by the Blues Brothers, “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder, as well as “You Will Be Found” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. 

When asked about their favorite parts of the performance both Chris Buencamino, a junior at Winter Springs, and Tyler Davis, a freshman, said that they liked the singing that the band does in their performance. The singing itself is during “You Will Be Found,” during the chorus, and is intended to send a meaningful message to the audience about accepting others. 

The Seminole County Marching Festival also provides the local bands the chance to interact with each other. Davis stated he “got to talk to other bands, and people who go to other schools.” It also gave the Band of Gold the chance to “see and learn from the other bands.” Buencamino also enjoyed “getting together with the rest of the bands in the county.” Various musicians gather with other people who play their instrument such as Buencamino’s experience when “Last year the trombones got together to play a rhythm game.”

While the Seminole County Marching Festival was a large event for the local marching bands, and the music lovers that came to see them, it was followed by a Music Performance Assessment (MPA). MPA is where bands are judged by adjudicators. The 2022 MPA took place at Winter Springs on Saturday, October 29, which hosted 16 bands to present their shows. Davis stated before the event that he was excited because it is a completely “different experience being judged on our marching.” The Band of Gold was able to get Superiors on all of their categories including visuals and music while the color guard specifically got an Excellent. This achievement for the band is one that they hope to continue to accomplish in the future.