The Nixa Crimson Corps concluded its marching season on Nov. 14-16 by competing at the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championships in Indianapolis, held every four years. The competition featured 112 top high school bands from across the country. While in Indianapolis, the Crimson Corps earned a superior rating, the highest rating possible.

The band’s performance earned 13 separate recognitions during the 2024 season. Band Director Craig Finger said that the team’s months of preparations was a factor in their success.

“It’s about a five-and-a-half month process,” Finger said. “The hard work starts long before rehearsals with the band dedicating time and energy throughout the year.”

While the group performed at Nationals, Finger said the students were able to benefit from the experience because they could watch the other bands.

“You don’t really grow unless you go and kind of see what other people are doing and doing better than you,” Finger said. “They get to go and watch and say, ‘OK, that’s cool. Let’s do that.’”

Finger said judging for marching band competitions helps guide growth.

“We have to remember that this is a subjective art, that the winner is decided by someone’s opinion,” he said. “My goal is pretty simple. I want us to be better this year than we were last year.”

Finger said one factor that contributed to the band’s success was the support the students received from the community and NHS.

“As much as I would like to say, it’s exceptional teaching,” Finger said. “It’s really the level of support that we get from the community and the administration. When I compare ourselves to other band programs, most of them all have good teachers and kids. The difference is we’re supported at another level.”

Senior Layton Huff, a member of the drumline and the peer leadership team, said that the support from his peers and family helped him through the season.

“We build a good level of chemistry with each other, and … that makes it a lot more enjoyable for everybody, both just being friends and lifting each other up,” Huff said. “My parents go to all my competitions, so it’s nice to have them there supporting me.”

Huff said he took on the responsibility of helping others, showing newer students how to improve their performances.

“I help teach others how to march and how to play their instrument,” Huff said. “It has helped me learn how to lead others, as well as help others grow around me.”

One challenge that students had to overcome was the difficulty of memorizing music while learning visuals for their routine.

“We’ll have 20 to 30-hour weeks, sometimes outside of school and during class periods,” Huff said. “It gets pretty time-consuming, and a lot of people don’t recognize that.”

Despite the challenges, Huff said the senior class was especially excited to return to Grand Nationals.

“It’s definitely a cool experience, especially for the senior class this year,” Huff said. “We also went out our freshmen year and competed, so it’ll be interesting to see how we compare to three years ago.”

Sophomore Reece Loe said performing at Grand Nationals for the first time was both exciting and intimidating.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking just to know that it’s such a big place where a ton of bands are going to be,” Loe said. “I just go to the people around me because they’re just as nervous as I am.”

Loe said though the work was demanding, she was confident in the progression they had made.

“We’ve been preparing since August,” Loe said. “We’ve had little competitions up in super regional in St. Louis.”

Loe said throughout band, she has formed several friendships with peers who share similar interests, helping build her sense of community within the program.

“My best friends are from band,” Loe said. “There are always people that I can go to and even if I’m not super close with somebody, I know who they are, and I can always talk to them about something.”

Junior Kenzie Gifford said she had high expectations for this season.

“We’re excited because we only go [every] four years,” Gifford said. “It’s a great opportunity because it’s the highest you can go in the band world. We are just wishing for the best performance we can give.”

Once the marching season had come to a finish, the band was preparing for their winter concert that was on Dec. 12th at the Aetos.

“The kids had one of their stronger performances of the season and I hope, [they] learned what is possible by watching some of the top ensembles in the nation,” Finger said.

This sense of comfort fosters growth and new friendships for Loe.

“My best friends are from band, and I met them in band,” Loe said. “There are always people that I can go to and even if I’m not super close with somebody, I know who they are, and I can always talk to them about something.”

Confiding in peers is a way to feel included and less nervous.

“I just go to the people around me because they’re just as nervous as I am,” Loe said. “We talk about it and make sure that we’re doing well in rehearsals.”