//EMERY DAVIS//

Whether students look forward to it or not, the fall semester is drawing nearer and nearer. With many uncertainties and some confusion because of COVID-19, students wonder what school may look like in the upcoming school year. 

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, whether the marching band season would take place or not was up in the air. However, on Tuesday, July 7, the Colorado Bandmasters Association (CBA) finalized the decision to cancel the marching band season altogether. 

It was a long discussion where many proposals were made, including spectator-free events, virtual concerts and in-school evaluations of bands, rather than the usual competitions.

This upcoming season would have been junior Ryan LaTourrette’s third season with Vista’s Marching Band; though he didn’t want the season to be cancelled, LaTourette recognized that the decision was for the students’ best interest. 

“My feelings [about the season being cancelled] are mixed. I believe that they should not have cancelled marching band this year,” LaTourrette said. “On the other side, it was the safer choice. Colorado would have made a risky decision if they were allowing kids to be out and near others, while probably not [social] distancing because we’re teenagers. That would have been a bad look for CHSSA and [the CBA.]”

With the marching band season being cancelled, participants will not only miss out on important growth which comes from the classes they are enrolled in, but also the social aspect of the extracurricular. Many of the marching band students value the bonds and friendships they build throughout their time with the marching band, along with the opportunity to travel. 

“It’s always so fun to perform with your friends, and it makes me sad to think that will no longer happen,” senior Jenna Lester said. “[What I’ll miss most this season] is being able to go to competitions and performing in front of other schools, as well as seeing their performances.”

The CBA website states they believe the cancellation of marching band season will provide “an opportunity for all of us to seek new ideas, activities [and] instructional processes that will enhance the growth of instrumental music education.”