The Dallastown Marching Band consists of 124 members, including brass, winds, battery, front ensemble, color guard and majorettes, all under the student direction of drum majors Cohen Camalier and Addi Vaida.

This year’s show is titled “Ready for Takeoff” and features flight-themed music.

“Ready for Takeoff” was just one of many ideas that marching band director Justin Buer and the rest of the staff came up with as possibilities for this year’s show.

“At the end of every marching season, we sit down as a staff and develop a list of possible ideas. A flight theme show was on the grand list and gradually stayed on as we whittled it down,” Buer said.

The show is divided into four main parts: the opener, the ballad, the percussion feature and the closer. All of which are centered around one main piece, Patrick Roszell’s “In Joyous Flight.”

“We started with two concert band pieces in mind as the anchor for the show, sprinkled with other nuggets of well-known material throughout. In the end, “In Joyous Flight” made the cut, and the other was dropped,” Buer commented.

“It came down to the likability of the piece and how it fit/interacted with the other material for the show. As a staff, we find value in choosing known material and unknown material to expose the audience and performers to new music. “In Joyous Flight” was a piece that the Dallastown Concert Band performed in 2022, and the students loved playing it then, so it felt like a good choice for our current students.”

The opener utilizes portions of “In Joyous Flight” and also includes sections of “This is Berk” from the film “How to Train Your Dragon” and Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.”

“In Joyous Flight” continues into the ballad with the softer portion of the song and highlights soloists Jacob Appleby on trumpet and DeAnna Bellomo on piccolo.

The percussion feature, split into two sections, features selections from the Top Gun franchise, including the “Top Gun Anthem” and Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone.”

The “Top Gun Anthem” showcases the front ensemble and highlights soloists Vincent Cialini on electric guitar and Blaise Shuck on the drumset, while “Danger Zone” showcases the battery.

Originally, “Top Gun Anthem” wasn’t announced as part of the show at the annual marching band show reveal. It was kept a secret from the members.

“Top Gun was actually always part of the show concept.  It’s always nice to have a surprise up your sleeve,” Buer stated.

In addition to “Top Gun Anthem” being announced later on after the show reveal, there was a song that was removed after being announced, “Romantic Flight” from “How to Train Your Dragon.”

“Ultimately, it (“Romantic Flight”) got cut because of timing and flow. We were already at max show length, and where it was in the show would’ve broken up some of the momentum of the big finish,” said Buer.

The show concludes with the closer featuring “Test Drive” from “How to Train Your Dragon” and a finale that incorporates segments of “In Joyous Flight” to create a lasting impact.

Throughout the show, the band adopts various formations that mirror the musical developments, enhancing the overall performance and flow of the show.

Some of these formations include an airplane, Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon,” a B-2 stealth bomber, and the iconic United States Navy TOPGUN patch.

The formations are what some like most about the show.

“My favorite part of this year’s show is Part 3 when we play “Danger Zone!” The energy is incredible, and the drill looks really cool on the field,” Vaida commented.

One thing the majority of the marching band staff and student leadership team can agree on is the progress of the show each week.

“I think the show has progressed really well so far! The band has grown musically, and we’ve been making great progress incorporating visuals on the field. I can definitely see people improving with each rehearsal, and I’ve noticed the same for myself with conducting,” Vaida stated.

“The progress we are making each and every week is very clear!  We have been thrilled with the progress we have made over the 1st half of the season and hope to continue that trend toward Championships,” Buer exclaimed.

The marching band continues to rehearse twice each week to make each performance just slightly better.