Bulldog marching band adjusts performance to fit pandemic parameters

The days leading up to a fall Friday night in Hampton for Hampton-Dumont-CAL director of bands Carl Kurth are typically filled with last second tweaks and final runs through the halftime show before the Bulldog marching band takes the field.

Last Wednesday, just two days before the first home football game of the season, those stressful final moments were replaced with a time of overwhelming emotion for Kurth and his students. Due to adjustments made to this year’s school schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wednesday’s rehearsal marked the first time the marching band was able to meet as a full ensemble. For Kurth, it was the first time he had seen his entire band in one place in nearly half a year.

“I was choking up at the start,” he said. “It’s been 173 days since we’ve been together, 173 days since I’ve had those kids in front of me.”

The first rehearsal Going into the year, Kurth knew the marching band season would come with challenges not seen in normal years. When the high school switched to a four period per day block format, the plan was to divide the band classes into freshmen and sophomores and juniors and seniors, with full band rehearsals when available.

The school’s current hybrid model, which has half of the student body attending school two days a week and the other half attending two different days, required the marching band to divide into four groups. As Wednesdays do not have formal classes on campus, time is available for socially distanced group activities.

“That essentially took us to four different bands preparing the same music and getting it to play together,” he said. “These Wednesday rehearsals that we are allowed to have…these are the only times the 9-12 grade H-D-CAL bands will practice together.”

Kurth added that the band has also had to be mindful of health and safety regulations related to the pandemic. Band members are distanced in their formation on the field and will not march during performances. Masks are worn when possible and the large group can only perform outside. These measures change the dynamic of a band but the chance to play music is worth some inconveniences.

“We can’t have the kids getting sick,” he said. “But we are going to perform somehow and make the best of the situation.”

The division of the group has led to what senior band member Michael Rosenberg calls a “mixed bag” of sections. Some groups have an abundance of brass players while others may not have hardly any woodwinds.

In senior Keely Craighton’s case, she’s the only percussionist in her regular class, which led to some personal concerns about her preparedness. However, as the full group rehearsal wrapped up, she knew the band was headed in the right direction.

“I didn’t have much confidence because I am the only percussionist in my section but with the whole band, I had a lot more confidence,” she said.

The students are the first to admit the practice was not perfect but also don’t discount the emotions behind Wednesday’s rehearsal and the performance at Friday’s game.

“It was such a relief,” said senior Courtney Ringleb. “It was just a sense of something normal for once.”

Bring the noise As the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s decision whether or not to play high school football stretched throughout the summer, Kurth and students patiently waited.

Once the go-ahead was given, Kurth felt a sense of relief and a feeling of pride knowing that his students would, in some way, be able to contribute to the game day atmosphere.

“I know there were a lot of happy kids here today (Wednesday),” he said. “In whatever capacity we can…do we want to just stand there and play? Of course not, but this is better than the alternative of having nothing.”

Ringleb said the students enjoy the chance to bring another aspect of entertainment to the fans and know that the atmosphere at home games would not be the same without the presence of the marching band.

“It’s another way to bring spirit to the crowd because I know the crowd loves listening to us play our music and it adds more to the game rather than just sitting here and watch it,” she said. “It’s an aspect of football you have to have there.”

Craighton added that H-D-CAL’s marching band has earned a reputation for its lively halftime shows and music during downtime, so the chance to continue to provide that entertainment, albeit with some adjustments, is one the band takes seriously.

“What I’ve noticed going to other football games is the other bands don’t march or don’t play a halftime show,” she said. “I feel like our crowd really enjoys what we do. They watch us, they cheer for us.”

Something for the seniors The fact isn’t lost on this year’s seniors that the 2020 graduating class didn’t get one final performance or a chance to say goodbye to their fellow band mates. The seniors also know that at any moment, the plug could be pulled on the marching band season or even their remaining fine arts performances in general.

When they took the field on Friday, they knew that the possibility exists that it could be their only performance of the year so the desire to give it their all was present more than usual.

“At the very least, it’ll be something we can do our senior year,” said senior Tristan Kurth. “We don’t know how performances will go the rest of the year or if school will be shut down.”

Carl Kurth, Tristan’s father, said seeing the senior class last year miss out on the last two months of the school year was heart wrenching as both a teacher and a community member. The memory of that sadness, he said, is why he made it his goal to give this year’s senior class a chance to perform in whatever way possible.

“That senior year was so special to me because they were freshmen when I got here, so they were a really special class and I felt so horrible for them,” he said. “The end of that senior year was bad because it was cut short…but this year is going to be worse because we don’t know what we’re going to get.

“I am determined to give these seniors as much as I can this year and that goes for everybody,” he said. “Everything is going to look different this year but we are going to do the best we can to make it as normal as possible in the music realm.”