Twenty-three marching bands from the El Paso region took center stage at the Socorro Independent School District’s Student Activities Complex (SAC), captivating audiences with their intricate formations, powerful musical arrangements and vibrant uniforms at the district’s 32nd Annual March Fest competition on Oct. 11.
For a second year in a row, Pebble Hills High School claimed the Grand Champions title. They also won outstanding awards for percussion, visuals and music for their show, “My Beautiful Anna.”
Drum Major Abel Griego, a senior at Pebble Hills High School, has been participating in the contest for four years. He said that his favorite part of March Fest was the competition. Along with performing, he enjoyed watching the shows of other bands. He also emphasized that March Fest offered a valuable opportunity for the band to enhance their performance for the UIL Marching Band contests.
“There's more to come, and I'm just really excited. And hopefully at the end of the season, we get the chance to advance to the state marching contest once again,” Griego said. The Spartans qualified for the state competition in 2023 and 2024.
At the UIL Region Marching Band Contest on Oct. 18, all six SISD high school marching bands earned Division I ratings and qualified for the UIL Area Marching Band Contest on Oct. 25 for 6A bands and Nov. 1 for 5A bands.
SISD Fine Arts Director Dr. Armando Martinez said the bands had been working on their performances since the summer. He emphasized that the competition was an excellent opportunity to highlight and celebrate the hard work that the bands pour into their performances year-round.
“Today is special because today is all about them,” Martinez said during the competition. “The entire audience is here just for them, just to specifically watch them, and it puts them at the center of the attention.”
At March Fest, marching bands in Class A, B and C showcased their musical talent for judges from across Texas. They were rated based on a national competition standard with a preliminary finals format.
This was the eighth year that Cecilia Olivas attended March Fest. All three of her children were members of the Eastlake High School band, and her oldest sons have already graduated. This year, she proudly watched her youngest son, Kevin Olivas, perform a solo on his soprano saxophone during the Falcons' performance of their show, "Solaris."
“It's a great, great show. The kids have put a lot of work into it. I'm so proud of every single one of them,” Cecilia Olivas said.
Kevin Olivas, a sophomore, was proud of their performance but said there was always room for improvement, especially in preparation for the UIL competitions.
“I think we're all doing great things, and we all know we could do better. So, we're going to keep working towards that,” Olivas said.