The marching band premiers their 2014 show titled “Dreamscape” after countless hours of preparation.   “Dreamscape” intends to take viewers through a dream containing moments of mystery contrasted by peaceful scenes. According to band director Chris Poole, the theme allows for a more visual display.

“We have an actress that is considered in the show to be a dreamer,” said Poole. “She takes a journey through different aspects of her mind as she dreams. It’s very visual. There is actually a bedroom on the field with a bed, walls and a door.”

The differents aspects of the dreamer’s mind are shown through the movements of the show. Senior drum line captain Sean Slattery expresses the purpose of each movement.

“There are four movements and the first movement is supposed to [simulate] falling asleep,” said Slattery. “The second movement is supposed to be a nightmare. It’s based off an organ solo by Baac, and it’s a very well known one-but it’s intense and fast. We have a ballad which is supposed to be a peaceful dream because it is slow and pretty. And then we have our closer which is based on awakening. It’s fast and triumphant sounding.”

The theme is not only reflected through the music, but also through the choreography in the color guard. Guard captain Hailey Jacque has led the color guard in practices working to perfect the portrayal of a dream in their moves.

“We have practices after school most of the days of the week,” said Jasque. “The guard instructors do a really good job of portraying the theme of the show.”

Leading the band in cooperation with drum line captain Slattery is senior drum major Greg Stewart.  Stewart completed a résumé and service project while also brainstorming ways to improve the band before taking his role as drum major. Now he leads the band through marching drills and the four movements of the show. Stewart performed as junior drum major last year in their show “Future Shock.” The marching band has a theme each year for their show. During Stewart’s four years at Susquehannock, the band has chosen a diverse arrangement of shows.

“Last year was ‘Future Shock’ which was supposed to be robots versus man,” said Stewart. “The year before that was ‘Tribal Power’ and two years before was ‘The Storm’.”

While the show seems to impress audiences every year, this year is rumored to excel in difficulty. The music has proven to challenge the band, especially in the second movement, the nightmare. And if performing the music was not difficult enough, the band must travel in formations coordinating with the music.

“It’s definitely the hardest show I’ve ever been in,” said Slattery. “It’s the fastest show tempo wise that we have. Not only is the drill real complicated like the moves are really hard but because of how fast it is, it’s really hard to get through.”

In order to perform at their best, the band spends the summer learning the show and even more time perfecting it heading up to their first performance, the first varsity football game. The preparation begins in early August with a two week long band camp each day containing eight hours of practice. While the length of practice may shorten as school starts, the amount of dedication and commitment from the band does not. The band dedicates the majority of their time outside of school to practicing whether it is as a group or individually.

“We have two to three rehearsals a week,” said Slattery. “We will do normally a Wednesday rehearsal right after school from three to five and then we’ll have Thursday nights from six to nine. The Saturdays that we don’t have competitions, we will do nine to twelve, so we have a lot of rehearsal time.”

With the show being so challenging, incoming freshmen are learning to quickly step up. This is not just freshmen Emma Steinhauer’s first year in marching band, but also her first year performing in the pit which includes instruments like the marimbas, vibraphone, cymbals and drums.

Seniors in the band this year have learned to go out of their way to create a helpful environment willingly assisting underclassmen. Steinhauer, like many others, realizes the impact that the seniors’ leadership has on the band.

“They have been really helpful and they are really into it, very committed,” said Steinhauer. “They have a lot of energy and always make you want to do more and go further.”

Poole has seen the same type of leadership from the seniors.

“It’s a great senior class,” said Poole. “It’s not a large senior class, but everyone in there is really quite a good leader and musician.”

The students in the band are really what makes this group so special. Their ability to inspire others to work hard allows the band to be the best that it possibly can. The marching band performs at every football game (during half-time when away and directly following home games) along with four competitions this season.