Last year, The Marching Cavemen had a good performance season, bringing their best possible, excitement-filled entertainment and energy to Mishawaka Football fans from all over the area. The season, of course, faced its fair share of COVID-related challenges. This school year, now that some COVID protocols are changing by becoming more lax, the band’s director, Mr. Chamberlin, and assistant, middle school director, Mr. Roberts, hope to make this year’s season a great one.
Chamberlin stated, “I am so pumped. I’m excited to get back to doing regular marching band. Last year, I nicknamed it ‘standstill band.’”
He went on to explain, “We had Marching Band, but we didn’t put a whole lot into it because of the time and all of the COVID regulations, so it’s exciting to get back and put a real product on the field.”
Many band members are looking forward to certain aspects of the program that couldn’t happen in the prior year. Chamberlin shared that he is most looking forward to, “Seeing our entire band performing for a full, packed Steele Stadium, where there’s a giant crowd, and we get to play for a ton of people who don’t have to be spread out.”
He added, “There’s not a ton of things to worry about. We can just go and show off for a huge crowd.”
The pandemic gave many people new hobbies to undertake and skills to teach themselves. Chamberlin stated, “I hate to admit that the pandemic taught me anything - because - I hated it.”
But he admitted, “One thing that we [the marching band] had always gotten comfortable with was doing tons of musical rehearsals inside, where so many younger players just hid in the band because there were so many older players doing their work for them. By spending a lot of time outside like we had to last year...we can develop a more confident sound outside which we can then transfer indoors after marching season.”
The Marching Cavemen will make their debut onto the field to start off the home football game on Friday, August 27th, with a halftime show filled with features from The Jersey Boys. “The Jersey Boys is some of my favorite music, but I didn’t just pick it because I love it,” said Chamberlin.
“We played it about ten years ago, and the kids were begging to play it for Pep Band… I think it’s cool that it’s music from decades ago that the kids obviously weren’t alive for, but once they hear it, they end up falling in love with it.”
Come out and watch them perform under the Friday night lights! Students, click on the attached link to buy tickets for the game, and keep checking your emails for more information.