The Carbon High Dinos are letting out a new kind of roar these days; a roar that, according to band teacher Ms. Tana Jenson, has been missing from the Price-based high school for anywhere from 15-20 years.
When Jenson started teaching band at Carbon High School two years ago, principal Bruce Bean approached her with the idea of creating a marching band. Fellow teacher Chris Sweeney heard about the possibility and offered his expertise as a seasoned marching band veteran. With his help, along with support offered at the district level, Jenson and Sweeney decided to put the idea into action.
Thus, the Dino Stampede was born. The marching band, composed of 34 members and measuring officially as 1A in size, started their reign last summer with a band camp held at CHS. The camp consisted of learning different field formations, known as drills, written by Sweeney as well as putting music and the drills together.
“Last year, we didn’t even have a marching band,” snare drum-playing sophomore Noah Parker expressed. “It’s really awesome to see it happening.”
Meeting at 7 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday morning before school, the 34 students that make up the Dino Stampede practice and perfect their routines.
“I work my schedule around it because right now, music is my favorite thing,” junior Chelby Frandsen said about finding time to practice her bass drum. “It’s really easy to find time to practice when it’s something you want to do.”
As of right now, community members can watch the Dino Stampede perform at football games. “If you don’t come,” Frandsen warned, “you’ll miss an amazing show.”
Jenson expressed that the future will bring with it more challenging pieces, more so than have already been given. “We gave them more of a challenge than most first-year marching bands will do,” she admitted.
The Dino Stampede, though still in its early stages of development, will surely continue growing and bettering itself through the years. “We’re all new and bright eyes and want to see something grand,” Parker expressed. So far, the students have been doing just that.
“We set the bar pretty high,” Jenson confessed. “And I feel like they rose to the occasion.”
Watch the comeback debut of the marching band below:
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