LEXINGTON — The Pride of the Minuteman Marching Band, the largest ensemble has been, is ready for a fight with their 2025 show, “Forged in Battle.”
The members of the Lexington High School Pride of the Minuteman Marching Band were busy this week at band camp, learning the marching fundamentals, memorizing the music and becoming familiar with their sections.
LHS Band Director Spencer Hansen said the show the band is performing this year is “Forged in Battle,” a three-movement show produced by Fannin Musical Productions.
The audience will be immersed in a “clash of myth and might using thunderous percussion and primal visual imagery,” according to the Fannin Musical Productions website.
“Musical inspiration is drawn from the powerful theme of the mega-popular God of War video game series and Mars, the Bringer of War from Holst’ The Planets. An intense but reflective arrangement of Schubert’s Ave Maria serves as a plea for peace or intervention in the midst of the chaos,” per the website.
“Despite the moment of solemnity, conflict returns and the divine struggle continues to an ultimate demise. This epic marching band show captures the grandeur of mythical warfare,” the website states.
The three different movements are titled, “Decent into Chaos,” “A Prayer for Peace,” and Wrath of the Immortal.”
This year will be the largest the band has ever been in its history with over 250 students from all grades. For instance, the trumpet group alone numbers 50.
LHS Band Director Chad Scharff said the percussion group met last week for their own camp. What stood out to him this year was more responsibility early among the students, with groups taking the initiative to fix parts they may be struggling with.
The Minuteman Marching Band Drum Line consists of snares, quads, tonal bass drums, and front ensemble players.
Band Director Sarah Ernst is in her fourth year of teaching at Lexington. Ernst played clarinet with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s marching band for two years before becoming a drum major for her final year.
One new thing this year was a three-day freshman only camp that Ernst held last week to help them get acclimated to the high school and the music before they joined the upperclassman for the full camp.
The freshman students learned the essential marching fundamentals, including posture, horn carriage, and basic drill techniques. They were also introduced to some of the music for the fall show.
The results of the work with the freshman can already be seen by the directors, the younger students have more confidence in the music and their marching fundamentals.
Ernst is also working with the woodwinds, a group which numbers around 90 students. Due to the speed of the rhythm in the show, Ernst said she is working to get the students key fingerings moving quickly in camp, the precise notes will come later.
The group has benefited from a strong low woodwind section, such as the bass clarinets and the tenor saxophones. Scharff said that the group achieved a good tone early in camp and this allows the group’s sound to not be drowned out by other sections.
The musicians are not the only ones working hard, the 20-member color guard is under the direction of Melissa Welch.
Welch said that the color guard members this year are fast learners who have been practicing during the summer to prepare for the fall. She noted that the group picked up their cadence routine in 15 minutes, allowing them to move on to other areas to learn.
She said the group has a good work ethic. Scharff said the color guard is already off to a good start and only needs more repetitions to become fully proficient with their techniques.
The band will have five home performances during football games on Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Oct. 3, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24.
Scharff noted for those watching the band during the early home performances, 50 additional uniforms have been ordered and the band won’t perform in full uniform until those arrive and all the students can be outfitted.
The Lexington band will take part in three competitions this year.
For the first competition, the band will be returning to the Lincoln High “Links” Marching Contest that will take place at Lincoln High School on Oct. 11. Scharff said they had attended the Elkhorn competition for the past several years, but the timing with the schedule worked better to attend the Lincoln competition.
For the second competition, the band will return to Lincoln for the Lincoln Public School Marching Band Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Seacrest Field in Lincoln.
The last competition, the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association State Marching Competition, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Kearney High School.
