The Penn-Trafford Marching Band has been preparing since June for its annual Atlantic Coast Championship performance at Hersheypark Stadium with their show “The Colosseum.” This year, the band is currently surpassing their 2017-18 scores, which were the highest they had ever earned in school history.
The show revolves around the idea of a Roman colosseum, executed through a battle between the band and colorguard. The songs include “Of Emperors and Chariots” from the 1959 film Ben-Hur, followed by “Barbarian Horde,” “Adagio,” “The Maximus Fanfare” and concludes with “Battle Theme” from Gladiator.
Band director David Cornelius stated, “[Pit percussion instructor] Jason Goyda is the one that mentioned having the pit in the middle of the field and the ideas really started to flow from there about the staging, drill, what the colorguard was going to be wearing, the scaffolding and herald trumpets. The band parents were all in to help out.”
Junior Griffin Nelson, a member of the drumline, stated, “The show is very solid and a nice, aggressive change-up.”
For each competition, the band decorates the football field with 13 10-foot traditional Roman columns, a large double-sided ramp for different instrumental features during the show and has acquired new uniforms alongside Spartan helmets from a professional marching band group: the Boston Crusaders. The competitive uniforms feature an all-black jacket and pants with golden sleeves for the wind and drumline instrumentalists and purple sleeves, symbolizing royalty, for the pit percussion ensemble and drum majors Emma Bender, Amanda Graves and Brooke Newell.
“[The uniforms] suit the show so much better than the regular ones. It helps the band really get in character and adds effect to the show,” said freshman Teresa Campbell.
Junior trumpet player Kyleigh Marian also mentioned, “Artistry wasn’t something we really talked about in past years. My favorite part of this season and show is the characterization. The trumpets start the show majestically as if we were introducing a battle in the Colosseum, and the drumline has an intense feature while the colorguard and wind players attack each other. At the end of the second song we fall down to the ground as if we were wounded as a result of the battle.”
The band rehearses every Tuesday and Wednesday for three hours. Throughout these rehearsals, the band as a whole corrects their drill movements, quality of music and general togetherness.
Additionally, they compete nearly every Saturday and use the bulk of the morning to prepare. All rehearsals are done with the help of Cornelius and a multitude of other staff members specialized in different instruments, such as brass, woodwind or percussion.
Nelson said, “We are a lot more focused on collaborating with our sections and physically going over the show rather than just playing the same few measures of music over and over by ourselves.”
Senior brass captain Billy Hilderhoff agreed, “In the end, we all have one big goal in common, and that is to become the Atlantic Coast Champions for our respective class, so we know what we need to get done.”
At the beginning of the band’s competitive season, they held a strong place in the top five of their class. However, the football trip to Massillon, Ohio, and homecoming weekend interfered with their ability to compete. This resulted in slightly pushing back their ranking compared to bands who have been competing most every weekend.
Hilderhoff added, “We have still rehearsed and added a multitude of new things, so I know that we will be able to bounce right back and be well within reach of winning a championship title.”
Unlike shows in the past, “The Colosseum” presents itself particularly grueling with fast tempos and a dark, aggressive mood to execute, especially in comparison to last year’s band show, “The Greatest Neighbor Ever: Our Tribute to Mr. Rogers.”
“I feel the aggression of the show and music, especially ‘Barbarian Horde,’ really challenges us in a way the previous shows have not,” said Campbell.
Currently, the band has finished adding detail and musical refinement to the show. They are now working on endurance in order to complete the show in the most effective manner possible.
Cornelius stated, “It’s ridiculously demanding. The students’ energy during rehearsals is unwavering and they want this to be even greater than they already know that it is and it’s really exciting knowing that we have one competitive month left and they have not maxed out anything in their own minds. They’re going to add every bit of excellence.”
The band will perform at Hershey on Oct. 27 between noon and 3 p.m. and will prepare for their performance at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Warrior Stadium for Tournament of Bands Regional Finals. 
Belle Mulhern, Managing Editor