Rivers of sweat ran down the students’ faces, glistening as the first rays of sun break over the horizon. The pavement practically steamed underfoot as the marchers moved their instruments up into the set position. A blunt metronome ticks, echoing against the brick buildings, as music fills the parking lot. With that, the season began.

          The Klein Oak Marching Band has been practicing since the last week of July to prepare for this year’s halftime show. The  highly-anticipated performance is titled, “Into the Clouds,” which depicts the transformation of fallen humankind into angels. Iconic pieces such as “Amazing Grace” and an acoustic rendition of “Every Breath You Take” by The Police are featured in the show.

          “I wanted to do something  uplifting,” Max Mullinix, program director and show writer said, “something that reflected a positive message for our community.”

          The inspiring show theme encourages band students to work hard and become better through constant repetition and instructions from directors during practice. Rehearsals ran from 7 am to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday during the summer. Once school started, practices occurred up to four times a week from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in addition to game days.

          “I think that there’s always more we can do to prepare, but I think we’re in a good place right now,” freshman marcher Tyler Lopez said. “I actually enjoy more rehearsals and more practice. It’s a lot of fun.”

          Yet, not all band students march. Senior drum major Reyna George doesn’t play in the show; rather, her responsibility is conducting the band and keeping a steady tempo for the players on the field. George equates her role as drum major to a vital organ: without the drum major’s direction, the band would fall apart. She is eager to see how this year’s show will come together, she said.

          “I’m so excited,” George said. “We’ve worked so hard and this is the time where people finally realize what they’ve worked so hard for. I think we are doing great, and if we can keep the energy and the efficiency up, we’ll definitely have a show to remember.”