Bert Church High School student Megan Senger just returned from an extraordinary musical experience in West Virginia, where she took part in the World Association of Marching Show Bands (WAMSB) competition as a member of the Calgary Stetson Show Band.
The trombonist spent nine days in the States to take part in July 17 to 24 competition.
“It was so fun there, and everyone was so happy to be there,” said Senger. “It’s a really good energy (taking part in a marching band) – it just brings you up. It gives you like a high sort of, because everyone is so happy to be there and that just gives you happiness.”
The Calgary Stetson Show Band was one of over 20 marching bands competing from all over the world. They competed in the “parade” competition, in which they had to march down main street, as well as the “field show,” where they had to present some sort of artistic program alongside their marching and playing skills.
Senger said the other bands competing in the event all brought their A game, and her band found itself having to rise to the occasion to keep up. But, she said, the hundreds of hours of marching drills and relentless musical practice paid off under the hot West Virginia sun.
The Calgary Stetson Show Band finished a strong fourth in the parade competition and took home bronze in the field competition for their performance of “Dark Seas.”
Their pirate-themed performance featured pirates, swords, a pirate ship replica, famous sea monsters like the Kraken, and music from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series.
“The cheers were so loud and the stands were just packed,” Senger recalled.
Senger first got interested in marching bands in 2019 as a member of the Calgary Roundup Band, which is the junior counterpart to the Calgary Stetson Show Band. She found she adjusted easily from her school concert band to the marching band’s higher energy style.
“Marching and playing to me isn’t too hard,” she explained. “It actually makes it easier because you get the tempo with your feet. So you are basically playing with your feet.”
Senger said she loves the Calgary Stetson Show Band, and she would recommend anyone with some musical background to give marching bands a try.
“The people there are so nice, so supportive, and you get to learn so much more about your instrument,” she said. “You get to do so much cool stuff that you wouldn’t get to do in a school band. You get to march in parades and you get to learn all these different types of movements while playing your instrument.”
