Plainfield South Marching Band Invitational

 First marching band competition of the season today!!!

The Music Boosters provided breakfast for the kids today, so everyone had plenty of spare time at the school before we left.

Annah and Ryan eating their breakfast at "her" desk in the music room office

Sylvia kept busy braiding lots of girls' hair.

 Jeremy helped load the band trailer, I helped check kids' in and make sure they had all pieces of their uniforms and instruments.  Then we drove up to Plainfield South High School with Caeden.  

Not long after we arrived, so did someone else we love!  

ADDIE!!!!!!!

Aurora University is only about 20 minutes away, so she drove over! 

It was so wonderful to get to see her and spend time with her!

The kids got their uniforms on and instruments ready.  Sylvia somehow manages to make even a marching band uniform look cute.

Getting lined up and ready to go to warm-up

We could see our band walking around the field while the band before them was performing.

 They had to walk a long way, then around the track to get to the other end of the field to enter for performance.  I'm sure it was more than a mile. They had no downtime before going on the field, and I was a bit worried about them already being tired!

Love that leader of the band!

 "Due to extenuating circumstances," the band doesn't have a colorguard or backdrops for visual effects this year.  Jeremy was the only member of the "pit," and took the drum major podium on and off the field.

 The Ridgeview Marching Mustangs

Getting set, waiting to be announced...

"Drum Major, Annah Lopshire, is your band ready?"

Sylvia is the mellophone on the left.

Here, she is in the center.

Giving the tempo for the second song...

Even though we can't see her face from the audience, we can tell Annah is an expressive conductor!

L to R: Cameron, Ryan, Ali, Conner

Sylvia on the left

Both girls in one shot--Sylvia far right

directors watching from the sideline

Annah makes the accents and step-offs clear!

(Some pictures taken by the competition host photographer down on the field level...)

VIDEO:

Coming back around to do the Monster Stomp...

The band had a great performance!  They competed against larger schools with MUCH larger budgets, and received 4th place.  It was a really great and fun day!

And, a beautiful drive home...