Pioneers repeat as marching band champs with Joan of Arc theme

NEBRASKA CITY – The Nebraska City Pioneers won their second consecutive AppleJack Marching Band championship after presenting the Joan of Arc theme at Saturday’s parade.

Blair, a perennial AppleJack champion, continued to impress with curb-to-curb marching and iconic plumes, but Nebraska City crossed in front of the judges with flag teams dressed in soldierly, imagination-invoking costumes.

The judges talked about judging prior to the start of the parade.

 

Judges: “Straight lines, good horn angles, big sound.”

Band Director Emily Roth credits fundamentals.

Roth: “The kids are really starting to buy in to what we’re doing. Like what they talked about with our theme, everything we do is focused on that central theme of Joan of Arc. We try to look and portray that character, so it’s more than just the music, it’s a whole package deal.”

 

Drum Majors Jaden Leasure and Evan Adkins talked about developing the theme.

Leasure: “Our theme is Joan of Arc. She led the French in battle and was then burned at the stake. “

 She credits the band director and the flag team for the unusual costumes

Leasure: “We don’t have a lot of time to practice, but when we do practice we’ve been using our time. We really wanted it. That’s the important thing. We wanted this more than anything.”

She called the music, which is personally written for the band, incredible.