Last Saturday, the Spirit of Joshua marching band placed sixth at USBands Saginaw Regional. The last time the SOJ advanced to finals at a marching band competition was 2018. 

“The morale of the band has definitely changed,” junior Paisleigh Hilley said. “Making [the final round] for the first time in four years has given the band a new level of confidence, [because] nobody in the current band has ever gone to finals at a competition and starting off our [competition season] on such a good note has raised the [overall] morale by a ton.” 

Named after Britney’s Spear hit song, the SOJ’s 2022 show is dubbed ‘Toxic.’ The band replaced the gray SOJ uniform, shakos, and plumes used in the past for an iridescent green top baring the radiation hazard symbol across the chest and 55-gallon barrels to follow the theme. 

“I love the new uniforms,” sophomore Caroline Perez said. “At football games, the glittery green uniforms and bright yellow barrels cut through the sea of royal blue and white. It’s like the band reinvented itself.” 

In the last month of summer, the band began working on marching fundamentals and technique in the mornings and afternoons on the practice field, spending the hottest part of the day working on the show music indoors. However, once school started, the schedule lessened to two days a week for three hours each day. 

“Everyone loves our show and gets excited to perform it,” Hilley said. “Overall, the work ethic and dedication of the group, as a whole, has grown so much over time and this season has brought the band closer than ever before because we are all proud to be a part of the SOJ.”

With over 150 members in the organization, three directors cannot personally assist every one of them. As a result, the band directors hired marching technicians to aide in preparation and production of the show.

“The techs help us to perfect our show and look [unison],” Perez said. “They just help us know when we’re different and how we’re able to fix it. Each tech is assigned to a different section or technique to break down the big picture into smaller parts.”

At their first competition, the band only marched three out of the four movements. What follows for the band is to add the last movement, which is sure to bring the crowd to their feet, and clean up the show in preparation for UIL competition on Oct. 11.  

“The next step for our band is to continue on with our show and make it bigger and better,” sophomore Kiley Jones said. “We need to keep going and show everyone what we’re made of. [Along with proving] to everyone that we have what it takes to be the best.”