The Columbus East High School football stadium will transform into a “world of pure imagination” when the Columbus East Olympian Spirit marching band debuts its 2019 marching show, “Bright Ideas,” later this month.
For the past week, the 54-member marching band has worked from sunup to sundown to master its upcoming show set for the 2019 season.
Playing familiar songs including, “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” by Fall Out Boy and the Willy Wonka-classic, “Pure Imagination” by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the band is taking a different approach to their annual marching performance.
“It’s all about formulating ideas,” band director David Rodgers said.
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Large light bulbs props will be dispersed across the field as band members, dressed in new bright-colored uniforms, bring the show to life.
Inspiration for this year’s show comes from Drum Corps International, the governing body for junior drum and bugle corps. Rodgers said this is the second year the East band has chosen a show based on the music, saving the band more time and energy on the front end instead of writing a show on their own.
“One of our main things is to be entertaining,” Rodgers said. “When I watch other bands, I want to be entertained. The drum corp that wins is not always necessarily the corp that I like or the corp that I think is the best, but it’s the one that resonates with me after the performance.”
More importantly, Rodgers asks whether it resonates with the students who are performing it.
Senior drum major Merrick Goen said this year’s show is very different from any other performances she has been a part of.
“It’s big and bold,” Goen said. “We’ve had themes in the past but this one has a lot of different elements coming together. We have a Bach song, then a heavy Fall Out Boy song then tear-jerking ‘Pure Imagination.’ It’s a very big move for us.”
Junior Madeline Romanski will initiate “Pure Imagination” with a flute solo. She said this year has been the most challenging, both musically and marching.
“The show is really cool because it’s a lot of technical stuff, which gives us a chance to showcase our talent,” Romanski said. “We’ve done a really good job and have come a really long way since June.”
Rodgers said this year’s group of students is small but mighty. The program graduated 25 seniors in June, shrinking in size from 70 to 52 members. Nevertheless, Rodgers said he’s impressed by this group’s work ethic and talent.
Already, students are asking to rerun through measures, something Rodgers said is a good sign of how this season should go.
Goen said she’d love to bring home trophies during the band’s upcoming season, but what she wants more than anything is for her 53 peers to have fun and be confident in their performances.
The Olympian Spirit marching band will showcase its new show on Aug. 30 during halftime at the home-opener varsity football game against Columbus North High School, at 7 p.m. at Columbus East, 230 S. Marr Road.
“It’s not a dark show,” Goen said, “but if we play it right, we’ll be able to make people cry.”
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When the Columbus East Olympian Spirit marching band takes the field this fall, their 2019 show title, "Bright Ideas," will feature:
- Bach 2-Part Invention by Johann Sebastian Bach
- "Pure Imagination" by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
- "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" by Fall Out Boy
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Aug. 30: Columbus North at Columbus East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 6: Pickerington at Columbus East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 13: Jeffersonville at Columbus East, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27: Floyd Central at Columbus East Homecoming, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18: Madison at Columbus East Senior Night, 7 p.m.
For a complete performance and competition schedule, visit columbuseastbandboosters.org.
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