L-W West Marching Warriors Prepare for New Season

The award-winning Lincoln-Way West Marching Warriors have a new music program to learn and are working each day to be ready for their 2014 marching band season.

West students are attending their second week of band camp which began on Monday, July 28 and will conclude with a Community Concert on Thursday, August 7 at 7 p.m.

During band camp students are building their endurance and learning new music as well as field show routines. In June they met two or three days a week to refine their marching steps.

The four high school bands at Lincoln-Way West, Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way North are required to learn and memorize a half dozen tunes, including a chorale, parade song, school fight song, the Star Spangled Banner and a variety of tunes that are played during football games and at marching band competitions.

Students have been practicing eight to 12 hours a day in the summer, getting ready for the 2014-2015 marching season, said Cary Ruklic, Lincoln-Way West Marching Music Department Chair and marching band director.

Parents reinforce the importance of practice, dropping off students each day and taking turns manning the water jugs so students stay hydrated throughout the day.

“If we didn’t have our Music Boosters, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” added Ruklic.

The Lincoln-Way West 2014 drum major is Charlie Pavlik, his second year in the leadership position.

The title of the Marching Warriors’ 2014 production is “Seven.” Each section of the show encompasses a different aspect of the number seven. Movements of the show include “Lucky Number 7,” “7 Deadly Sins,” “Colors of the Rainbow,” and “Luck be a Lady,” from Guys and Dolls, as well as original music composed by Craig Fitzpatrick. The visual design is by Michael Lentz.

The community has numerous opportunities to see the four high school marching bands perform: the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade, Sunday, August 31; the Manhattan Labor Day Parade, Monday, September 1; and sections of their competitive shows during the halftime of the school’s home football games.