The LTHS band won fourth place during the Area Marching Contest on Oct. 23, confirming a spot in the State Marching Contest. The SMC started on Oct. 31 and ended on Nov. 23. LTHS won 15th place, although they didn’t advance into the finals.

“I’m proud of the results from the finale of the competition because of out all of the talented people competing, we made it 15th place,” freshman Anya Biju said. “The majority of people in band and color guard are filled with new people so the fact that we made it into state is crazy.” 

There were a total of 33 schools competing during the SMC, meaning out of 33 rivals, the LTHS band beat 18 other schools, which sets a record for this year.

“When I realized we had made it to state, I was filled with relief,” sophomore Joseph Erickson said. “It proved that all our work was worth it. I am proud of the results of the competition even though we didn’t make it as far as we would have liked, we are still number 15 in the state of Texas.”

According to Erickson, band consistently practices during their class and also after school for two hours. They mainly practice on tempos, melodies, and new songs in preparation to display their work for the next competition.

“My experience during the competition was full of nostalgia from being in the band two years ago, it was also a new standard for the future of the band,” Junior Sofia Beltora said. “Especially with it being important for younger grades to see what amount hard work could be led towards, as of last year was a year where nothing happened.” 

Former members of band are deciding to rejoin due to the increase in dedication and quality in the musical industry. The lack of progress from last year was frustrating to some, fortunately, this year portrays significant progress within the members of band.

“This was a challenging year with so many new and young marchers and they all rose to the occasion,” Band Director Kelly Wykoff said. “I am proud of our leadership team for their vision and guidance throughout the year. I’m thrilled that they got a chance to perform alongside their peers in San Antonio once again.”

This year was quite challenging for Director Wykoff as there were vast amounts of new band members. Even then, they all managed to rise up and achieve a spot into state and finish off remarkably in the state competition.

“I felt overwhelming happiness and pride in our students once I realized that we made it into state,” Director Wykoff said. “Advancing to the State Marching Contest for the second time in LTHS history is a huge accomplishment and one they can both be proud of this year and build on next year. I can’t wait to see what this band can do in the future.