The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Marching Comets rouse fans to ‘Celebration’
A goal of Marion L. Steele Marching Comets is to finesse the fan experience at Mercy Stadium in Amherst.
From cadences to musical intensity a goal of Marion L. Steele Marching Comets is to finesse the fan experience at Mercy Stadium in Amherst.
Director Chris Barbaro coaches the 125 students to play to the stands.
“Every time we come out here, we want our fans to be entertained,” Barbaro said. “We want them to relate to the tunes we’re doing.
“On Friday nights, we’re a competition band, but we’re also a high school football band. Some of our shows are geared toward competition. Some of our shows are intended to get our fans on their feet.”
In his 27th year as a band director, Barbaro said this is the 16th year in a row the Marching Comets have qualified for state marching band championship competitions.
He is helped by assistant director Chris Lasch, color guard adviser Allison Kocheff and percussion adviser Dan Shinski.
“We have various styles in the band,” Barbaro said. “I try to be well rounded. We do a very traditional pregame in block formation and the letter A, which is one of the reasons our alumni can participate because our pregame really hasn’t changed.”
On Sept. 29, 40 alumni joined the band during halftime, including 10 trumpets, seven mellophones, 10 trombones and baritones, five tubas and five drums, Barbaro said.
“It’s a true homecoming,” he said.
Alumna Bethany Matos graduated in 1996, but not from Steele. Her sophomore class son Gabriel Matos
played cymbals while she maneuvered a trom-
bone. “I love it,” Matos said. “I
loved marching band when I was in school. I was super excited when they said for this alumni band parents could be in it, too.”
And 2007 graduate Sunny Dickerson played trombone and said she celebrated her 10-year class reunion this year while attending graduate school for a master’s degree in biology.
“I don’t have much time for band because I’m still in school,” Dickerson said. “So, I appreciate getting to come back and play for this band.”
That night the show opened with a Latin tune, “El Band-IDO,” Barbaro said.
“Our middle tune is part
of our competition tour from ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ so you’re going to get a little Beatles,” he said.
To close the show, the alumni were featured in “Carry On Wayward Son” popularized in the 1970s by Kansas.
Drum Major Jacqui Patterson, 17, a senior, said she enjoyed directing while her mother, Jeanie Petkovsek, played altonium with other alumni.
“It’s pretty cool,” Jacqui said. “I’m actually looking forward to next year when I get to be on the field with her.”
On Sept. 30, the band traveled to Avon Lake for a band competition.
‘It’s a fully judged, competitive show,” Barbaro said. “We’re having a really good year. The kids are showing a lot of strong leadership.
“We instituted a big brother, big sister program for the new members, so the new members will have someone to look up to. And they’re leading like young leaders so there’s no drama.”
Barbaro said another positive is they have almost 100 percent participation in their rehearsals.
“There are virtually no absences,” he said. “It’s hard to put in words. They’re just good kids. They’re dedicated, responsible, and they’re very loyal to the program.
“It makes for a great recipe for success. And the kids are making friends for a lifetime. Most of these alumni were best friends when they were in band, and they’re here.”
Jacqui said she joined marching band because she attended her older cousin’s band competitions.
“I was really inspired by what they did,” she said. “It was really cool to see a whole bunch of marching band members and what they do.”
Barbaro said he hopes the tunes and shows strike a pleasant chord with the football game crowds.
“Our competition show is the Beatles’’ ‘Revolution,’ ” he said. “‘Celebration’ (popularized by Kool and The Gang) is our traditional fun football Friday night thing we do to get people rocking.
“We want them to go home humming the tunes and tapping their feet. We want our fans to be proud of who we are. It’s a very strong-knit community here, and everybody really supports each other.”