TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple High School Wildcat Band is marching into the Area Round of the University Interscholastic League Marching Competition. The THS band advanced after an impressive performance at the UIL Region 8 marching contest on October 18th.
The Temple High School band received straight ones or the top ratings possible at the Region 8 Contest at Midway High School’s Panther Stadium in Hewitt on Saturday. That rating qualifies the band to advance to the Area Marching Contest where Temple will be one of 28 bands to compete in that upcoming contest. The UIL Area D Marching Band Contest will be held on Saturday, October 25th, at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Round Rock. The full field and schedule for the Area D Contest will be announced later this week. Bands advancing from the Area Contest will move on to the State Marching Contest in San Antonio on November 3rd and 4th.
The Temple High School band is performing a show titled “Mercury Rising” for UIL contests this school year. The show includes popular music from Queen (Don’t Stop Me Now, Who Wants to Live Forever), Glass Animals (Gooey), and wind band repertoire by Gustav Hoist (Mercury, the Winged Messenger from The Planets). The students, on top of their academic studies and other extracurricular activities, put in eight hours a week after school to rehearse, refine, and perform the show. The design process for this year’s show began in January and students began learning the show on August 1st. The Temple High School Wildcat Band is under the direction of Brent Mathesen, Marcos Duran, and Peter Millican.
“I am extremely proud of this year’s Wildcat Band,” said Mathesen, director of bands for Temple High School. “They have risen to all the challenges we have given them and are growing into wonderful musicians. We are excited to be able to continue presenting our show this year.”
“Our success begins and ends with our student buy-in to performing musical and visual artistry at a high level,” added Duran, assistant director of bands for Temple High School. “The band directors could not be any prouder of our student musicians and we thank them for being the best versions of themselves on and off the field. The excitement for advancing to the next round is tremendous because it gives us another chance to perform for an audience, receive critical feedback from an esteemed adjudication panel, and celebrate other bands who are working as hard as we do!”