Flags wave and instruments shine on the field as music floats through the stands, capturing the hearts and ears of audience members. The sound of typewriters overlay the music as band and color guard members weave between each other, putting on a mesmerizing show.

This is the Coppell High School band program’s near future.

On April 20, Coppell Band announced its upcoming 2022 fall show: “Archetype.”

According to head band director Kimberly Shuttlesworth, the show will feature the four major literary archetypes: the artist, the explorer, the communicator and the lover. This theme will also tie into the music of the show.

“When you think about archetypes from a musical standpoint, who’s the perfect example of music? It’s Beethoven,” Shuttlesworth said. “Beethoven is the most copied composer of all time, so we’re going to use Beethoven’s Seventh.”

This show will be directed by an entirely new band staff along with CHS Color Guard director Matthew Rummel, who is serving as the new designer and visual coordinator. 

“I know Rummel can do it,” CHS sophomore color guard member Daphne Lin said. “He’s very detail-oriented and I know that whatever he does, the show will be great. For everyone else, I don’t know what to expect because I don’t know them yet. But if Shuttlesworth trusts them, then I trust them.”

Brian George, who is the music arranger for the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, is the composer for the show. Though new to the Coppell Band, he and Shuttlesworth have known each other for years.

“[George] understands my personality,” Shuttlesworth said. “He’ll ask the right questions of ‘what do you want it to say, Kim? What is it that you wanted to say?’ and I’m like, ‘Well, I want it to speak this way. I want them to hear it this way.’ He takes his creative mind and just does it. He’s brilliant. And Mr. Rummel has grown our color guard, like 80 or 90 people, and he has a brilliant mind. I wanted the staff to be completely responsible for the decisions we make. So we made those changes because at the end of the day, we have to look ourselves in the mirror just like the kids have to look themselves in the mirror and go, ‘did I do my best?’”

Throughout the show, the audience will see arcs with text on them, a visual representation of the title. Eight to 12 arcs will be approximately eight feet tall, and a few large ones will be approximately 10 feet tall. Every column will have a typewriter, so the audience will hear typing throughout the show. 

“Our shows in previous years were ‘Reflection’ and ‘Carousel,’ and both of those were so straightforward,” Lin said. “For “Reflection,” we had mirrors up in the front, and our song was ‘Mirrors’ by Justin Timberlake. With ‘Carousel,’ we had a huge carousel in the middle. But archetype is more about the underlying message, so the skills we need are different.”

Shuttlesworth’s goal for the upcoming marching season is to create a performance anyone can enjoy.

“I want people to know we are a program that connects from the audience member to the performer, that we will send a message to you through what we do,” Shuttlesworth said. “There is a message of love; there is a message of care. It’s a message of musicianship, and you can do that through ‘Archetype.” 

The band and color guard will begin practicing the new program at the end of May.

Follow Joanne (@joan_kimm) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.