The band’s 2023 show “Connecting The Dots” consists of musical selections from “A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics” by James Horner, “Fantastical Mischief” by James Dooley, “Yellow” by Coldplay, and “Wild Nights!”

On September 23rd, the band went to Baytown, Texas, to present their 2023 show, “Connecting The Dots” at the Baytown Marching Contest. Competing against 20 different schools and bands, and were able to accomplish and receive 2nd in their group, and 4th overall.

Marching bands in competition are scored and ranked based on different criteria and captions, and all the points can add up to a maximum score of 100. The different types of captions are music, marching technique, and effectiveness. They can also win awards for best colorguard, percussion and best overall/general effect. A group is also scored and given lenience based on how difficult their show is musically and with choreography.

With a score of 79.9, Collins placed second in the Group IV, placing above one other band program in their group, and placing 4th against 16 other programs.

The band hasn’t gone without its issues. For various outside reasons, there were many empty spots, which means a lesser score in different captions. But, hours of rehearsal leading up to this moment and hours spent trying to compensate for many empty spots eventually worked in the band’s favor.

Usually, in marching contests, there are prelims and then finals with the 10 top placing band programs. However, at the Baytown Marching Contest, each band was only able to perform once. This put more emphasis on having a good run, and the band succeeded, proving that they’d be able to move onto finals if they had the opportunity.

Even with obstacles in the way, the band was still able to prove themselves, and they can only continue to get better from here.