Eureka marching band takes first in class at state invitational

Eureka High School Marching Hornets celebrate their Class 1A first place win at the State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band Championship at Illinois State University on Saturday, Oct. 14.
(Photo courtesy of Hornet Band Boosters)

The Eureka Marching Hornets who won Class 1A at the State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band Championship at Illinois State University on Saturday, Oct. 14.

This year’s show is entitled “Isolation.”

EHS Band Director Todd Stalter said, “Composed by Rob Stein, it is a musical and visual study of the common psychological effects that isolation or the lack of human contact over a period of time can have on people.

“The different musical selections, “Trapped,” “Time Warp/Hallucination,” and “Lost,” each explore such things as defined and enclosed spaces, the feelings of anxiety when trapped and all alone, the inability to relate to the accurate passage of time, the illusions and tricks the human mind can play on itself, and the realization that a person can “lose ones’s self” when there is no external stimulus or companionship for reference,” he said.

The show’s complexities require the marcher to be almost constantly on the move while playing, posing and acting.

“The physical and mental demand is very high, because executing all the proper visuals on the correct counts and in the correct spots needs perfect timing and understanding of their body in space. Add to that the difficulty of the music, and the challenge is a tall one,” said Stalter.

 

 

— Eureka marching band takes first in class at state invitational  —