The 2024 Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Marching Band Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater was a night to remember, filled with incredible performances and crowned by Middleton High School Cardinal Marching Band’s first-ever state championship win.
The competition was also on the same day as the homecoming dance, making the celebration even more exciting. In a show of community pride, fire trucks and police cars escorted the marching band buses back to Middleton High School (MHS) from Whitewater, a heartwarming tribute to their hard work and dedication. The meeting was a memorable milestone for the entire Middleton community.
According to the WSMA, marching band categories are based on overall school size, with Class A being the smallest and Class AAAA the largest. Along with performing for an audience of family and friends, bands also perform for adjudicators who decide scores.
Competing bands are scored in six different areas of marching band: colorguard, percussion, musical performance, musical effect , visual performance and visual effect, which together compose the total score.
In Class AAAA this season, third place went to Franklin High School, which scored 82.613 out of a possible 100. Oak Creek High School‒who has placed first for the past nine seasons‒ took second, with a score of 86.275 and a caption award for best visual presentation. Finally, in first place was the Middleton High School Cardinal Marching Band, with a score of 86.650.
Middleton High School also won best colorguard for the third season in a row, as well as best musical presentation.
This was the first year MHS won the state marching band championship, heightening emotions across the band. Waiting to hear what place the band would get was especially nerve-wracking.
“Everytime they were announcing a place that wasn’t first, I was like, ‘please don’t be us, please don’t be us,’” said head drum major Benjamin Zumbrunnen.
“When they were announcing 7th place I just kept thinking ‘this is going to be us,” said Asha Chakravatula. “I started crying a little bit too when they announced second place”.
There were several changes this year to ensure that this year’s show, “Lined With Gold” surpassed past shows. One of the band directors, Douglas Brown helped compose and arrange the music. Michael Ver Voort, another band director, wrote the drill, something neither of them had done before.
“We had a lot of communication between leadership and the band, which I think helped make sure everyone was aware of expectations and how to make all of us better,” said MHS drum major Mado Smith.
The show’s genre was also unlike past productions. Zumbrunnen said, “We mostly do concept shows and this was fairly concept but a little more like a narrative.”
The show was based off of a Japanese art form called kintsugi, where artists line the cracks of a broken pot with gold.
“In the past we have always had solos, pretty much every marching band show does, but we had a lot more features and solos which played into our strengths,” said Zumbrunnen.
The marching band at MHS has had another successful season. Band staff and students could not be more pleased with how the band performed this year. The band won first place in their division at all competitions, winning several caption awards at each, and claimed the state title, breaking a nine-year winning streak. This show of advanced skill in the marching arts makes it clear that next season will certainly be competitive for students and captivating for audiences.
