Marching band has started off the new school year with an explosive new program called Ra.

  The show tracks Ra, the Egyptian sun god, as he progresses through the day, traveling across the sky and into the underworld at night. Each musical movement represents a different part of his daily voyage accompanied by voice-overs explaining the mythology.

  Sophomore Carter Curry is optimistic about the show.

  “Overall, [I’m excited] because we’re going a lot further than last year with the new material,” said Curry. “A lot of things are changing. It’s more creative this year, but it’s easier to play.”

  Practice for the group began in August, when the musicians gave up two weeks of summer to explore their new material at band camp. The band also meets after school at least twice a week to fit intensive practices into a few hours.

  Sophomore Becca Martin finds the new theme interesting.

  “I love it. I like that [Ra is] different than things we’ve done before,” said Martin.

  Even the uniforms this year are new. Every band member received a new outfit after the first practice, replacing the aging older ones. Freshman Julien Stewart loves the updated outfits.

  “We look like cosmic ninjas from another dimension,” said Stewart. “I was unsure at first, but I’m getting used to them. They look good.”

  Marching band begins their competition circuit soon, but they have already shown off their work to teachers and parents. Katherine Wilt, an English teacher at the high school, saw the band perform at an inservice training day before the start of the school year and found the performance moving.

  “I thought [the show] was really good,” said Wilt. “It built us up. We were ready to start the year after it,” adding “We all thought they looked sharp. They’re ready to pump up the crowd.”

  With a fresh theme, brand-new uniforms, and a strong group, the marching band is bound to repeat last year’s successful season.