Kyle Ullmann remembers watching from the sidelines as his siblings performed in the high school band. Now, he’s part of the Pride of Montrose Marching Band, and as co-drum major with Natalie Powers, recently led the group in a spectacular performance at state finals at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
Straight off its regional win, the high school marching band placed fourth overall in state competitions and achieved a record score of 82.75. As well, the band won top honors for outstanding visual caption with its “Studio City” themed performance, and second place in music.
“My favorite part of marching band is just seeing how dedicated and focused everyone in this program is and being able to be a part of such an amazing show with many of my friends,” Ullmann said. “Competing at state was such a surreal moment. It really reflects on all the hard work that our band has done this year and I could not have asked for a better season.”
Powers knew from an early age that she wanted to be in marching band and promptly joined while in middle school, when a friend told her of an opening in the front ensemble.
“One part of this program that I really enjoy is the relationships we develop with one another. Marching band members become very close over the course of a season and the trust we have for each other gives us the motivation and ability to perform at our highest level,” she said.
“Getting to perform at Air Force Academy was amazing and I enjoyed every second of it. It was a huge honor to score as high as we did and I am so thankful that I got to play a part in this achievement.”
Director of Bands Sheridan Loyd was proud of the students — not just for the state honors, but because they forged strong connections, worked hard, and did not let others’ perceptions about a rural, Western Slope band stand in their way.
“They were over the moon. We had gone into state in fourth place based on our regional placement, but a lot of the scores were really close,” Loyd said. “Especially with all the weather challenges, we didn’t know how it would end up. But they felt prepared and (had) a great mindset. They definitely left it all on the field.”
That’s the focus: bringing passion and preparation to the field, rather than focusing on a particular score or result. “We never set goals in terms of scores. We can’t control how other bands perform. We can only control what our students do. Once the performance begins, it’s entirely in the team’s hands. It’s a true testament to how they practice and what they are able to accomplish when they put all of that hard work in,” Loyd said.
“We’re going to have to fight for what we’re able to achieve and no one is going to expect anything of us. It’s all about how we want to set our own goals and expectations this year.”
Montrose competes in the Class A4 division — and with Durango is the only rural-designated 4A school.
Regional competitions held statewide determine who qualifies for state and their placement going in. This year, Montrose received a bye for the quarter finals because of its placement in the top 6.
The Pride of Montrose competed at the Colorado Bandmaster Association Western Slope State Qualifying Marching Band Festival in Grand Junction on Oct. 19, where it placed first for Class 4A schools and landed a spot at state.
Semifinals for state were held Oct. 28 in Colorado Springs. The weather threw a wrench in the works — instead of one day for semifinals and the second for finals, the events were combined, but The Pride was ready. The band members focused on their performances in “captions”: music, in which Montrose placed second; general effect, and visual, for which The Pride won outstanding honors.
“We were super excited because our band got awarded the visual caption award, which means we got the highest score . … to be in fourth place but still win a caption award is a very big deal,” Loyd said. “Fourth place is the highest The Pride of Montrose has ever scored. We broke 80 points, which is kind of a threshold that’s hard to surpass. Then we were the visual caption award winner and we placed second in music. It’s exciting to see what they accomplished this weekend.”
Under the Studio City theme, The Pride donned bright neon outfits and performed music from the film “La La Land,” as well as rhythmic and industrial beats.
“They’re thrilled. They didn’t have any type of expectation,” Loyd said of the results.
The Pride of Montrose has been invested in the teamwork and production all year, practicing in a parking lot and in shared space on a baseball field that’s smaller than a typical marching field — and also smaller than where many of the band's competitors practice.
Unlike in sports, every band member is considered “varsity” — the entire band depends on every person and this year, more than 30 members were new to marching. “There’s no bench for marching band. If a student is injured, we’re still figuring out a way to cover that student’s particular role,” Loyd explained.
For it all to culminate in state honors took trust and the willingness to be vulnerable, she also said.
The Pride of Montrose also works hard with the support of Band Boosters, to fund trips.
“We are the band that travels the furthest to get to state in Class 4A. We have to raise about $30,000 every year to compete in state and have transportation and lodging. All of that money could be used toward staff and new instruments and hosting our own competitions," Loyd noted.
This year, The Pride rented space at Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction to hold the Montrose Clinic and Showcase. Although on-school space for the band is not plenteous, it does receive school funding and support. “We’re super thankful for everyone at Montrose High School for sharing the facilities. That is a big challenge,” Loyd said.
But she and Assistant Director of Bands Cameron Beauchamp tell their students not to let the challenges define their achievements. “That’s why we’re so proud of them. We’re super proud of our band and how they’ve kind of redefined their own expectations,” Loyd said.
The Pride of Montrose also benefits from the dedication of a marching band alum, Natasha Zepeda, now head color guard instructor; she choreographed most of the state show herself.
“They’re both huge assets to this program,” Loyd said, also thanking in a letter to the band Andrew Mueller, Miles Bollman, Casey Gerczynski, Alexa Madden, Kailyn Pashman, Kaylee Bia and Ryan Unangst for “unwavering belief in our students” and helping the program, as well as Joshua Dawes for his creative vision. Loyd also thanked MHS Principal Heidi Voehringer and MHS Athletic Director Brad Schaffer for support.
“We have such talented kids here,” Loyd told the Daily Press. “It is exciting for them to be recognized. It’s just great to have them have the season that they had.”