The old saying is that when something is working in perfect synchronicity with all of its elements, exactly the way it should be, that it is “running like a finely-tuned machine.”
The Pride of Portage Marching Band's expectations for this year are exactly that.
This is a big year for the Pride. Given all the band’s success in the past few years they’re taking a logical but still very nerve-wracking step into the Open Class at invitational contests. Meaning this year the Pride will be going horn-to-horn up against the best in the state.
“This is definitely a big step for us,” Drum Major, Nick Blue, told IIMM. “This way we’ll be able to see how we measure up against the truly great bands of the state.”
And the start of a new era for the Pride of Portage also means finding a new way to show up and show out. And it’s in this aspect that Blue hopes the phrase “finely-tuned machine” manifests itself on the field.
“Preparing our show this year, Mechanize, has been a really different experience from last year,” Blue said. “Our program is meant to mimic machines, so there's a lot of machine-like sound effects in the music, which is fun for the audience because that's not what you expect when you're watching a marching band show.”
“It's unique.”
And with a new show comes new routines, new challenges, and new goals. But for Blue and the Pride of Portage Marching Band, running like a finely-tuned machine means rehearsing like one as well.
“We prepare the same way. We try to stay focused and intense at all times during every rehearsal,” Blue added. “And that means not one rehearsal is wasted.”
And this year, as the Pride of Portage Marching Band steps into new territory and competes against the best-of-the-best, starting Saturday at Concord, Blue says the band is confident that the roll of successful competitions the band has been on in the past few years will only continue.
“Every year for the past five, we've improved our final end of season scores from the previous year. Last year we earned the highest score in the group's history. We definitely hope to continue the upward trend that we've been experiencing over the past five years.”