On Saturday, October 6, the CCHS Sound of Pride (SOP) competed in the 17th annual Florida Marching Band Championships (FMBC) Regional competition at Flanagan High School located in Pembroke Pines. The SOP took the lead, receiving first place in their 4A class.
FMBC Regionals is a competition amongst marching bands from Florida high schools. According to FMBC State, bands will receive an engaging experience when competing. The SOP has been preparing for this competition by practicing for many hours on both weekdays and weekends.
At this competition, marching bands are placed in a class based on the size of their band and color guard. The five classes include 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A. In recent years, the SOP has been classified as 5A, however this year were placed in class 4A.
Class 4A consisted of four different high schools: Boca Raton High School, Everglades High School, J.P. Taravella High School and Cooper City High School. The CCHS SOP received first place in this class and J.P. Taravella High School received second place.
“It got to my heart when I saw the seniors crying for a good reason.”
In addition to winning first place in their class, the SOP won Best in Class Color Guard and Best in Class General Effect. They also received superiors in visual, general effects and music. The CCHS SOP received fourth place overall in the competition.
“I was just really happy for [the SOP] and that they got recognition for the work they do,” band director Danielle Singer said. “This band program has been through a lot over the years. I think, especially for the senior class, this is the first year of continuity. It got to my heart when I saw the seniors crying for a good reason.”
The theme of the SOP marching show was described as a circus freak show. The music included “Pure Imagination” sung by Drum Major Samantha Sigal, as well as original music written by Music Captain Head Robert Rivero. The show had a variety of sound effects, general effects and props.
SOP members dressed in costumes with designs that depicted the circus theme. Members painted their faces using black and white makeup and styled their hair to look like they were part of the circus. Color guard members wore mismatched patterned costumes and red eyeshadow that brought character into the show.
“I was completely overwhelmed with joy when we won first place.”
“The SOP took the competition very seriously, leading to a great performance,” Sigal said. “Members were asked to get into character during competition and they far exceeded expectations, helping us have a great run.”
The CCHS SOP has not received Best in Class Color Guard in many years. This achievement was rewarding to the color guard, as they have put a great amount of effort into this year’s performance.
“I was completely overwhelmed with joy when we won first place,” color guard co-captain Paulina Manta said. “I have never won that award before, and it was so exciting. I do not think I will ever forget the feeling.”
On Saturday, October 13, the SOP will be heading to Orlando, Florida. They will be competing in the Bands of America (BOA) Regional Championship.
“In the future, I would love to make finals at BOA,” Singer said. “But most importantly, I want people to remember Cooper City’s name. That was always the goal for this year. If people are talking about us by the end of the show, regardless of where we place, then we did our job.”
Photo by Arielle Kraus
