Coppell Band’s name echoes through the stadium as it is announced as seventh place out of Class 6A state bands on Nov. 12 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Coppell Marching Band placed seventh at the UIL State Competition. It competed at region competition on Oct. 15, advancing to the area competition. At the UIL Area B competition, it placed first place in prelims and finals which advanced it to state.
Senior head drum major Siddarth Bellam recalls his experience being in the marching band since his freshman year and the band’s progress over the years.
“When we won for that first time, my freshman year, it was a really special experience to see those seniors and see how happy they were and how they had established this new legacy where Coppell can actually start winning now,” Bellam said. “I think that inspired all of us to keep this standard because we wanna keep winning.”
(Rhea Chowdhary)
“I think it shows how much that we’ve worked over the past four months and how much they’ve worked over the past few years because the band is a culmination of what’s been happening over the past few years,” Vijayakumar said. “We have grown ever since we won in the area since my freshman year until now and it shows how much work, dedication and leadership each person put in and how we motivate each other to get to where we are today.”
Apart from musicality and rhythm, the band has grown in its movement and visual aspects of its shows.
“We’re starting to get recognition for the types of shows and movements that we’re doing and rather than just music and the playability of our shows,” assistant director Brandon Slovak said.
A new fine arts center is being constructed on the CHS campus. This has impacted the current practice space.
“With all the construction that’s been going on, we wouldn’t know if we would be able to rehearse and sometimes we’d have to split up around the school,” Bellam said. “It was really hard for us to use the band field and we didn’t have a stadium to rehearse in for two months. Being announced in the top half of the bands in the state finals was definitely a very special experience because even through the adversity we pushed through, it was really about maximizing the time that we were given to be able to rehearse.”
(Rhea Chowdhary)
Slovak said that the growth that has accumulated over the past years is not just physical, but also in the etiquette of the band members.
“Some of those goals are something as simple as being better people and being nice to each other,” Slovak said. “Sometimes it’s those types of goals that make rehearsal etiquette better and more productive, leading to better performances.”
For Vijayakumar, the key to success lies in the dedication from both the students and directors.
“The directors put a lot of work and passion into what we do through rehearsals and they keep pushing and encouraging us,” Vijayakumar said. “As shows get harder, I think it just gives us a sense of excitement as we all have a passion for music and winning and that drives us to do better because we want to take that opportunity to do well and show what the band can do.”
As the Coppell Band program grows, Bellam hopes to leave a legacy of the Coppell band tradition.
“It was cool to leave that legacy of being four-time area champions and four-time state finalists for my senior class,” Bellam said. “It is an honorable experience coming in as a freshman and seeing all the success accumulate over the years, and then being able to represent that on the stage and adding to the accolade list that’s been growing for the band.”
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