Restoration of the Emerald Alliance

Last Friday, the Emerald Alliance marching band took the field at half-time of the Homecoming football game. This year's show is Phantom of the Opera. It was awesome! I hear them practicing quite frequently because of the proximity of my residence to the school. It was so amazing earlier this summer to hear the sounds of brass, woodwinds, and percussion dashing across the grounds. However, there is much more to the story. You see, this is the first year Bremen has had a marching band in several years. It was disbanded due to declining numbers and other problems. As a marching band alum, I missed the marching band at the football games. Consequently, it warmed my soul to see this group take the field on Friday and perform. The marching and forms were near perfect. The music was excellent. The color guard outstanding. On Sunday, I opened the South Bend Tribune as was delighted to read that the band had received a gold rating at district competition (and all 3 special awards) and earned a trip to regionals. In four years of marching band, we only made it to regionals once. That gives an idea of how tough this is - particularly for a small school and small band. So congrats to the Emerald Alliance for this amazing restoration!