Standing at the conclusion of months of tireless preparation, Coppell Band waited under the echoing halls of Alamodome for its chance to take the field in the finals round of the Bands of America San Antonio Super Regional Championship. 

Held Nov. 5, the competition hosted 80 of the nation’s most prestigious marching bands to compete in the preliminary round. Only 14 were selected to advance to the finals round in the evening. 

Beginning the day before the sun was up, Coppell Band entered warm-ups in the Alamodome before performing in the preliminary round at 9:30 a.m. After completing in prelims, the band eagerly awaited the 4 p.m. results ceremony to find out if they had advanced to the finals round. 

“It’s a very bittersweet and nervous feeling waiting after prelims, as we bring all of our [performance gear] from the hotel even though we don’t know if we made the finals round or not,” CHS junior varsity bass clarinetist  Rujuta Padalikar said. “We’ve spent a countless amount of hours starting from July preparing for this show, gaining an emotional attachment to the show, so we all have a big responsibility to make the seniors and directors proud of the performance we give.”

Coppell Band came out of its 7:45 p.m. finals performance that night placing 11th with a score of 90.5. Three days later, the band took the Alamodome field once again to place 8th at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Open Class Marching Band Content held Nov. 7-8. 

“It’s all about giving their best performance of the year, not the result,” Coppell Band Director Kim Shuttlesworth said. “We never talk to the kids about numbers and placements. All that matters is them giving their best.”

And it wasn’t the numbers or placements that made the season-concluding competitions memorable for the 305 varsity performers, including seniors who had just marched with the Coppell Band for the last time. Instead, it was the satisfaction that came with the culmination of months of hard work, beginning three weeks prior to school starting on Aug. 17 with rigorous summer band camp, in which members acclimated to the heat, practiced marching fundamentals and started learning the 2022 show, “Archetype.”

“The majority of my duty falls upon the motivational speeches we give after our rehearsals for each performer to know to give nothing but their best,” Band President senior Esther Han said. “I try my best to just be there for the kids as a leader, but it’s definitely a healthy balance letting each instrumental section’s captain do their thing, as it can get overwhelming.”

The BOA San Antonio Super Regional and UIL State Marching Contest represented an end for Coppell Band’s record-breaking 2022 marching season. Now, the band has transitioned into concert season, which kicked off quickly with the Texas Music Education Agency (TMEA) All-State audition process.  Phase one of region auditions was held at CHS on Nov. 28-29, and phase two concluded on Saturday. Performers who advanced past phase two will compete again at Area auditions in January for a place in the TMEA Clinic and Convention at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio from Feb. 8-12. 

“If you practice and if you execute to the best of your ability what you’ve spent so much time preparing, the result will be shown,” Shuttlesworth said. “Doing the ‘Archetype’ theme was definitely a risk, as we needed to execute a theme that represented Coppell’s identity and culture, but it turned out to be a great success.”

In just a few months, student members will go through spring auditions to determine their placements for the 2023 marching season. Until then, members and staff alike are ready – eagerly awaiting to bring Coppell’s bright enthusiasm to the cheering Alamodome crowds once again. 

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