Minneapolis, Minn -- Marching Band Places Third at State Championships
The Farmington Tiger Marching Band (FTMB) had a remarkable performance at the Youth in Music State Marching Band Championships. The ensemble gave a strong performance in the final of three competitive events this fall.
Under the direction of Erin Holmes and
Bradley Mariska, the 145-member ensemble presented its 2023 field show, JACK, to twenty-three marching bands and their communities at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 14, 2023. Not only did they perform their show but were witness to amazing bands from Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
The 2023 field show is a musical retelling of the familiar fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk, following Jack as he climbs the beanstalk and discovers a beautiful castle in the clouds. Jack, portrayed by Farmington 7th grader Matthew Woody, steals treasures from a giant and a great battle ensues. Jack chops down the beanstalk, killing the giant… but he is now no longer an innocent boy and is forever changed.
Music for the show includes "Giants in the Sky" from the musical Into the Woods, "Clouds" by Zach Sobiech, "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, and themes by composers Edvard Grieg and Guiseppi Verdi.
Bradley Mariska, Associate Director of Bands, said "Working on this theme was something I am so proud of. I loved how the story developed - just like in life, we are curious, we have to persevere through challenges, but if we work hard through them, grow to see different perspectives, we come out stronger in the end."
Competitive field shows are adjudicated by a panel of six judges, who each focus on specific "captions" such as music execution, marching technique, color guard, and general artistic effect.
According to Director Erin Holmes, "This show, by far, has been my favorite. It was amazing to have a vocalist with such talent work with the band. Our philosophy always comes back to competition within our own program. #BeatFarmington Sure, we want to win trophies, but more importantly, we want to get better EVERY SINGLE DAY. Whether it's a rep during rehearsal, a run during Friday Night Lights, or at a competition on the weekend, our goal is to simply get an inch better every single day. 1% better. Sure, we could chase the scores of others but what good does that do? We focus on us getting better. Each program is different - with different aspects, needs, struggles, successes, experience, philosophies, etcetera - so why worry about that? Our goal is to make ourselves, our program, and the future better. So we do. That's what we focus on. Their performance was so strong, emotional, and confident, we are so proud!"
The Farmington Tiger Marching Band will continue to work to #BeatFarmington and in collaboration with the cheerleaders, football team, and community bringing the pep and energy for their final home football game on Thursday, October 19. The evening will celebrate the senior class of band members, cheerleaders, and the football team. They close the 2023 season with their Indoor Show on Tuesday, October 24 at 7pm in the FHS Main Gyms. Please join them and be a part of this amazing team of musicians.
