Four Shadow Ridge seniors earned spots in the Academy: Drum and Bugle Corps, based in Tempe, Arizona. Three joined the color guard, while one was admitted as a trumpet player in the band. These four seniors are Cameron Phelps, the trumpet player, and Harry Evenson, Layla Carlos, and Charlotte Overley for color guard.
Phelps joined the marching band due to his older brother who forced him to go to band camp his freshman year. But really, his journey in band started in middle school.
“The band camp helped push me to this accomplishment because it kept me in the band from middle school and made me realize that there is more than just the middle school band,” Phelps stated.
Carlos grew up in the music industry, with both parents working as music directors, and always aspired to follow in their footsteps with a music career.
“I grew up watching the marching band’s rehearsal and performances, so I always wanted to join growing up,” Carlos stated. “It has definitely pushed me to this accomplishment because it’s exposed me to this at a young age.”
Overley owes this success to her friends who pushed her to join Color Guard and she couldn’t have done it without them.
“On a random day at school, my friends were suddenly insistent that I join the Color Guard,” Overley stated. “I definitely think they pushed me to this accomplishment, without them, I would have never joined and my life would be completely different.”
The Academy is a two month around the country tour that can be quite pricey, but the experience people gain from it is worth it.
“Getting into The Academy is so meaningful to me,” Overley stated. “It represents more than just an opportunity for me, it’s the culmination of every drop, sprain, bruise, and moment I had refused to give up. It’s also a testament to the unwavering support from my coaches.”
For Carlos, she’s excited about the experience and has been waiting for this for a while, but because the price is a bit much, she’s still waiting to see if she should go or not.
Coach Alli has been an ally for both Carlos and Overley, supporting them every step of the way, and was the one who pushed them to audition for the Academy.
“Coach Alli is who really got me into the Academy,” Carlos said. “She’s the one who made it seem like it was possible to get into DCI, and even paid for my audition. I honestly wasn’t planning to audition, let alone automatically be considered for membership.”
However, though the people who audition should be good at what they are in the band for, it’s more than that. Character is the biggest factor.
“The audition process was looking more at your character, rather than your skills. I genuinely thought I did really bad when it came to equipment, but I still passed the audition,” Carlos said. “Even if it’s outside of band or color guard, just never stop trying if it’s something you’re truly passionate about. Honestly, whenever the opportunity comes for you to grow as a person and performer, just take it, even if you don’t think you do well, you’ll benefit from the experience and you may surprise yourself.”
This is a great experience and provides multiple opportunities, but it’s important to work hard and stay dedicated.
“I would tell younger members to firstly, have fun!! It’s easy to get caught up, but don’t forget to enjoy performing and making memories with your team,” Overley said. “Second, take every opportunity you can get to learn from others, and always ask questions! Third, stay dedicated and work hard, success in color guard takes practice, patience, and repetition. Keep pushing to improve, even when it’s tough, it’s always so rewarding in the end!”
The moral of this story is to keep pushing forward, even when giving up feels like the only option, because one day, moments like this will happen, proving that everything leading up to it was worth it.
