At a marching band and color guard performance, the crowd can feel the energy and the community. The people who perform are really passionate about what they are doing. They put a lot of time and effort into the performances.  

Something that is special about the Independence color guard and marching band is the community. “You get closer with people because you are spending so much time with them, and you get to meet a lot of friends,” said freshman Ashna Gupta. 

Marching band and colorguard are a group of people who support each other and cheer for each other. “There was a really beautiful moment…They had us all merge and talk to each other, hug each other, high five each other….Just like the merging of all of these colors was really beautiful,” says freshman Kat Lloreda about the end of a color guard competition. 

Color guard and marching band perform at football games and also participate in competitions. Even though they are both performances, the preparations are very different. For competitions, practices are more rigid, while preparing to perform at a football game makes for a more relaxed practice. 

Band and color guard alike put in a lot of effort and work to make their performances amazing. In the summer, they go to band camp during the day, and they practice after school throughout the year, a big time commitment considering the homework that most high school students have. 

This season, the marching band and color guard have had a successful run, most recently winning the JMU Parade of Champions. At a States competition, they got second place in their class and third place overall.