The Marching Bulldogs will perform “Mercury Rising” for the 2024-25 school year which has brought on a buzz of excitement for the silver anniversary of Stone Bridge.
When choosing the show for the Marching Bulldogs, the staff had to take into consideration how the show correlates with the 25th anniversary, also known as the silver anniversary. After listening to multiple shows, director Kenneth Keller finally decided to do a show that had a mix between pop and classical music, including elements from the element Mercury and the planet Mercury.
“We chose ‘Mercury Rising.’” Mr. Keller said. “We were looking for a connection with the silver anniversary. And when we were listening to shows, at first, we kind of forgot that Mercury and liquid silver were related. We were looking for something that would have appeal from a more modern work, as well as artistic music, and then liquid silver kind of fit the bill.”
The show’s music is a mix between Freddie Mercury and the band Queen’s music along with “The Planets” suite, an ordered set of orchestral band pieces, by Gustav Holst, which was released in 1923. With features of multiple solos and solis and dynamic front ensemble parts, listeners will be on the edge of their seats.
“I really do enjoy playing the music,” clarinet player Mackenzie Roeder said. “I, for one, find it extremely enjoyable to play something that is well known, or just at least I find familiar, which comes with Queen music. So I find it, just the parts and the power that they hold, really, really enjoyable, and I really hope that our listeners and our audience feels the same way and recognizes the little bits that are tied in throughout the whole entire show.”
But playing the music is easier than keeping the tempo; it takes a lot of commitment from Drum Majors Kennedy Gilbert and Dash Loyer to make sure that the band is at the right speed for not only playing, but also for marching. The music constantly changes between tempos of 80 bpm to 160 bpm impacting the way people move through the show
“Oh my gosh, yes,” Gilbert said when asked if being drum major has been an enjoyable experience. “Literally it’s been amazing. Like, for me personally it’s been amazing. I love the music, I love the people I’m working with. I love everything about it. Like marching band, in and of itself, is kind of just like an automatic community.You already have people that you know, you have at least one thing that you have in common, and then you get to expand upon that. And this show especially, because you get to learn people’s music taste.”
Even though some of the show is 80 bpm, the marching portion isn’t all that easy. Most of the members have a lot of back and forth sets going on including sets that have one-step intervals from members. Even new marchers such as Christian Scott, who switched to marching band from the football team, mentioned how it’s hard to march while playing an instrument.
“‘The playing aspect is usual,’ Scott said. “But marching, you have to put your foot down in a certain way so you can play smoothly as if you were sitting down. The marching portion is the hardest portion of marching band. Who would have thought?”
Every member in Mercury Rising has been working hard to make this a great show with all of the different elements and props that demonstrate the effort given to put on a great show.
“I love how it combines, kind of like some of these pieces, like classical that a lot of people who aren’t in a band or an otherwise music class would know, along with kind of like super popular Queen music,” Gilbert said. “I love how they mash together in a way that seems so seamless. And, you get to learn new things along the way.”
