[August 04, 2011] Busy Bulldogs ready for Band Day Tweet LAPEL, Ind., Aug 02, 2011 (The Herald Bulletin - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For a few hours last Wednesday afternoon, members of the Lapel High School band were able to put down their instruments and cool off in the pool. Band director Greg Scott scheduled a break in practice so that he could take his band to the Anderson Country Club pool. With temperatures in the 90s, it was a welcome relief. "It felt awesome," sophomore, and saxophone player, Michaela Degraff said. At 4:20 p.m., band members were back in the high school's parking lot preparing for another round of practice. Senior Raven Morris, mellophone, said that while the heat can be hard to deal with, Scott gives them plenty of breaks to hydrate and rest. The band practiced from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. last week to prepare for Band Day at the Indiana State Fair, Aug. 5. "I think it's coming along, on (Band Day) we're going to be ready," Morris said. Adding to what has already been a busy summer, the band performed Friday at the Wayne County fair. Scott said the band has played in four parades, and played in shows in Noblesville and Jay County. The performed a State Fair preview show Monday night on the high school football field. Degraff said the key to doing well in the competition will be pleasing both the judges and the audience. Asked what the band plans on doing to entertain the audience, Degraff answered "go crazy dancing." There was little of that going on last week during band camp, where Morris said they focused more on the fundamentals and putting everything together for the competition. While many would consider lugging around heavy band equipment under the unrelenting summer heat a chore, junior Rachael Sheerwood, playing clarinet, said members often have to fight to stay focused because they are having so much fun. "It's a long day, but it's a fun day," freshman Colton Allen, trombonist, said. With 58 members, Degraff said, the band is very close, adding it's one of the perks to going to a small high school. The play list for this year's competition was inspired by the classic rock group Styx, and the band will perform renditions of "Mr. Roboto" and "Come Sail Away." Scott said it was more of the students' choice than his. "I didn't care for them their first time around," Scott said. Scott said he tends to ask the students what they want to play in the winter, and had several requests for Styx songs. He said several members saw the band in concert at Verizon Wireless Music Center in July. Speaking a week before Band Day, Scott said members were finally understanding their roles and putting everything together. "The summer's gone very well, very smoothly," Scott said. Contact Sam Brattain: 640-4883, [email protected] To see more of The Herald Bulletin, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]