Hays CISD bands find success on the field

Editor's note: This story has been updated as of 11/27/2023 to reflect the accurate placements of the bands at competition.

“Teamwork makes the dream work” is a quote the Hays High School band took to heart this season.

With roaring success and placing sixth at the UIL Area D marching contest finals, drum majors Agnieshka Sierra and Tayler Renee attribute their band’s success to the “closeness within people'' and the sense of community on the team.

With COVID-19 causing many upperclassmen to leave band for other activities, the team was left with only 40 seniors and juniors, but they didn't let that slow them down. Teaching the underclassmen pushed leadership to be patient and put their conducting abilities to the test. It worked out, but it wasn’t easy.

According to the drum majors, there were a couple of panic moments throughout the year, times they felt discouraged and a “lack of energy,” but the team used their prior winnings as motivation to keep pushing.

Sierra believed that even in these moments,  the group had potential to march at an excellent level and never lost faith. In fact, she said having such a youthful group strengthened the “culture” of the band, bringing something new to the table than previous years.

The Hawks weren’t the only Hays CISD band that took the competition by storm.

The Lehman Lobos received a first division rating at the UIL 5A Region 18 marching contest, qualifying them to also advance to the Area D competition, where they placed 19th in the preliminary round, scoring just below Cedar Creek and Kileen high schools. The Lobos really got their foot in the door, opening opportunities for the future of the band in upcoming seasons.

While Lehman is creating a name for itself, the Moe and Gene Johnson band has one to live up to. Placing fifth in the Area preliminary round, and seventh in finals at the same competition, the band fell just short of a trip to state.

Johnson drum major Morgan Forsthye mainly attributes the band’s success to a new band director, Chris Martinez, a “motivating and passionate” leader, she described.

Last year, the team traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana and Dayton, Ohio, where it saw some of the best marching bands in the nation. Seeing such determined and remarkable teams is what really pushed Johnson this season to be the best they can be, according to Forsthye. Although she accredits a lot of the teams’ success to the new band directors, the drum major says it is the “members that truly make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful season”.

Industrious, resilient and admirable are all ways to describe the Hays CISD bands this season. With every team advancing to Area, some continuing their legacy and others starting their own, many agree that the long hours and the money invested paid off.