Gallery • 10 Photos

Wren Vanderford

GRAND REVEAL: Sophomore Cruz Gonzales performs alongside the other baritone saxophone players during Bandapalooza on Aug 22. Bandapalooza allowed the band to perform what they’ve been practicing during the summer to an audience full of friends and family. While this wasn’t the band’s first full run through, it was their first in front of an audience. “I feel like we’ve done better in rehearsals, and due to the pressure and other things, it hindered our performance a little bit, but I was still proud,” Gonzales said. One thing that Gonzales pointed out that the band needs to work on in the future is making sure everybody knows exactly where they’re supposed to be and knows the repetition. This performance also allowed the band to introduce their new theme of Gothic Renaissance to their audience. “This year’s costumes are totally different,” Gonzales said. “We have hip capes and shako hats, which is a big change from last year.” Looking towards the future and big pictures, Gonzales wants the band to have a successful season and make state. “Considering how close it was last year, we were pretty bummed,” he said. “So this year, I think everybody is really trying to work harder to get there and make state again.” Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

Just as the sun was setting on Friday evening, the McCallum marching band began its annual Bandapalooza performance in the band parking lot. After the last month of all-day rehearsals during summer band camp and early morning practice during school, Bandapalooza provides an opportunity for band to debut sections from the first few movements of their 2025-26 marching show ‘Gothic Renaissance.’ They performed the entirety of the first movement and small portions of the second movement. 

They will continuously work on the show throughout the fall semester, performing it at competitions such as U.S. Bands, Bands of America and eventually the UIL state competition. In the meantime, Bandapalooza has kicked off the fall marching season. 

GRAND REVEAL: Sophomore Cruz Gonzales performs alongside the other baritone saxophone players during Bandapalooza on Aug 22. Bandapalooza allowed the band to perform what they’ve been practicing during the summer to an audience full of friends and family.
While this wasn’t the band’s first full run through, it was their first in front of an audience.
“I feel like we’ve done better in rehearsals, and due to the pressure and other things, it hindered our performance a little bit, but I was still proud,” Gonzales said.
One thing that Gonzales pointed out that the band needs to work on in the future is making sure everybody knows exactly where they’re supposed to be and knows the repetition.
This performance also allowed the band to introduce their new theme of Gothic Renaissance to their audience.
“This year’s costumes are totally different,” Gonzales said. “We have hip capes and shako hats, which is a big change from last year.”
Looking towards the future and big pictures, Gonzales wants the band to have a successful season and make state.
“Considering how close it was last year, we were pretty bummed,” he said. “So this year, I think everybody is really trying to work harder to get there and make state again.”
Caption by Maya Tackett. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

GETTING DOWN TO BRASS TACKS: Sophomore trumpet player Jet Brooks-Zavala plays his trumpet alongside the other members of the band, during the Bandapalooza concert that was hosted last Friday, Aug 22.
As an introductory concert to the band performance season, as well as the school year, Brooks-Zavala feels that it went well and was helpful in making note of things they need to improve in.
“My hopes are that we can make state, because the seniors who made state just graduated, so now there’s nobody who made state [left in the band],” Brooks-Zavala said.
Some of Brooks-Zavala’s favorite parts of the performance were its musical flourishes.
“I specifically liked the runs and brass features,” he said.
Brooks-Zavala has enjoyed playing in the band at McCallum, and is excited for the season ahead.
“My favorite part about playing trumpet is always getting to challenge myself and making sure I meet up to my own standards,” he said.
Caption by Priya Thoppil. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

BLOWING WITH THE WIND: Senior colorguard member Alabaster Lippert poses with other colorguard performers during ‘Gothic Renaissance’ at Bandapalooza. Lippert is a member of the rifle line within Color Guard, and was proud of the perseverance of her section.
“The wind was a challenge, and a lot of that work was very new for the weapon line,” Lippert said. “Our rifle line is a bit small this year, it’s only five people, and one of them wasn’t here for class today, so that was a challenge. But nobody got hit, and we managed to pull through.”
With the 2025-26 season being her final year, Lippert has high hopes for what the season entails and is looking forward to making strides in their progress.
“This class is the first class in a while that hasn’t gone to state,” she said. “So I really want this year to be the year that we make it. I also really want our rifle line to be clean by the last show, and I want us to be on time.”
Lippert believes that Color Guard has especially become bound together through summer band camp and previous years.
“I think Color Guard members are easy to interact with, and easy to get close to,” she said. “I like Color Guard more because it’s more like movement than other parts of marching band.”
Photo and caption by Wren Vanderford.

EVERYTHING’S COMING UP SUNSHINE: Freshman flautist Sunshine Maughan stands off to the left as senior Anna Robinson ties her shoe. In this moment, Band was about to perform the first movement of “Gothic Renaissance”, their competition piece for the 2025-2026 school year. Maughan said she had areas for improvement in her own performance, but felt confident in her overall section.
“For the flute section in general, I think it went really well,” Maughan said. “We did pretty good counting and playing. For me, I did pretty good as well. I did mess up a few times, but that’s okay. I hope to continue to take bigger steps. I just want to get better with marching.”
Maughan also said she’s in it for the long haul, as her dedication to marching is fueled by both her desire to improve and her appreciation for her instrument.
“I like how the flute sounds,” Maughan said. “I think it makes a beautiful sound when you’re playing a song. I do think I want to stick with marching band so that I can get better at it and get better at it, do more shows, and stuff like that.”
As for Maughan’s favorite part of “Gothic Renaissance,” she enjoys its choreography immensely.
“I really like when we do the sway part and lean in a circle in movement 1,” Maughan said.
Caption by Beatrix Lozach. Photo by Lucas Walker.

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Junior Drum Major Olivia Kraft stands on the podium during ‘Bandapalooza’ on Friday evening.
This year, the directors invited family members to join their students in marching a short section of the show. Students instructed them on where to go and family members were challenged to re-enact what their students had been working on in the summer months, when marchers were preparing for this year. Kraft was pleased with the exciting and engaging new edition.
“It was super fun getting to see all the parents getting involved and the chaos that ensued,” Kraft said. “My favorite part was when all the parents were laughing and talking on the field and our assistant band director, Dillon Junkin, said, ‘Let’s make sure our parents are focused, okay?’ We hear that a lot on the field, so it was funny to hear him flip the script.”
This year’s show invites lots of new features, thanks to the introduction of a new drill writer, and Kraft is proud of the new challenge the music is providing for young and new musicians.
“The music this year is harder than last, but everyone is doing really good,” Kraft said. “The theme of the show, ‘Gothic Renaissance,’ is going to be incredible, with organ music, stained glass window props, and some lovely music selections, one of the recurring favorites being ‘Fur Elise.’ One of my favorite moments of the year so far was the first time the full band played all together. It was such an incredible moment that gave everyone goosebumps.”
Bandapalooza is the first band performance of the year, so it provided students with some clarity after some bumps in the road, including flooding in the Fine Arts Building, which damaged equipment and set them back. However, Kraft believes the band has persevered, and Bandapalooza has been a refreshing change of pace.
“The amount of community engagement has been so incredible to see,” she said. “Our band hall flooded about a month ago and we had to quite literally take everything out of the band hall and put it back again. Parents and leadership showed up to help us manage everything, when all announcements were super last-minute.”
Kraft is looking far into the future. She has enjoyed being a drum major and the new responsibilities it entails, especially with helping younger and older marchers alike.
“I really love being involved in everything, and it’s seriously a huge honor for the band to put their trust in me to do my job well,” Kraft said. “A big theme is just always asking yourself, ‘How can I help?’ Lastly, we’ve had a lot of fun bringing back the Mac Drum Majors Instagram account. We’ve done weekly recaps, silly little videos and even mic’d ups! It’s a super fun group for drum majors and I’m super lucky to have them.”
The band will debut more of ‘Gothic Renaissance’ at the halftime performance for Shoal Creek Showdown on Aug. 28 at House Park and will continue with it into the UIL and competition season throughout the fall semester.
Caption by Wren Vanderford. Photo by Lucas Walker.

CLOSE-KNIT: Senior Alabaster Lippert twirls a prop gun during Color Guard’s routine at Bandapalooza Friday evening outside of the MAC. The performance gave Color Guard and Band an opportunity to debut their “Gothic Renaissance” themed show for the 2025-2026 season. Junior Aubrey Macedo, the flag leader of color guard, believes there were some environmental and timing challenges regarding choreography during the show. Despite the challenges, Macedo believes they will be able to improve this season. “We can have a great season, that we can improve our counting,” Macedo said. “And that we are able to walk off at our last show and be proud of the product that we have made.” What makes this year extra special for Macedo is that it will be the last year with her senior friends. “One of my favorite things about this show is that it’s going to be my last one of my favorite people,” Macedo said. “I don’t think there’s anything more particularly special than that.” Marching Band and Color Guard members attend many all-day competitions and football games throughout the year. The large amount of time spent together forged a bond according to Macedo. “[The color guard] built a strong community,” Macedo said. “It’s more like a family because we’re always together.” Caption by Wren Vanderford. Photo by Lucas Walker.

TECHNIQUE CRITIQUE: Sophomore trumpet section leader Jude Deberry-Deleon looks down at his lanyard with all of his spots for the sections of the band’s performance. This year, the McCallum Band came up with a new tradition where parents go to the field with their child and imitate the routines. This event allowed parents to step into their child’s shoes and learn more about their kids’s involvement with the program.
Deberry-Deleon said he looks forward to the year ahead, with a goal to make state at UIL.
“Obviously, I hope we make it to State UIL, that’s a big one,” said Deberry-Deleon. “Also, I hope we get good scores at all our competitions.”
When asked about the performance, Deberry-Deleon said it went well, but that there is always room for improvement.
“It’s definitely not our best, but it’s never going to be perfect,” said Deberry Deleon. “Technique is the most important thing that I think we should be focusing on, because last year, we got critiqued a lot for that at competitions.”
Caption by Sienna Martens. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

Junior Will Jones plays in the drum line at Bandapalooza Friday evening outside the MAC. Bandapalooza provides an opportunity for the band and colorguard to preview their show, “Gothic Renaissance” that they will be bringing to competition later this fall. According to Jones, the band has made good progress while still being early in its marching season.
“There’s definitely a lot of early-season issues that are happening,” Jones said. “That’s just the way it goes. We’re gonna get better, and we’re sounding really good right now, so it’s really exciting.”
Jones said that he hopes the band can continue improving its sound with more rehearsal.
“I really just hope to improve our clarity; we’re sounding kind of dirty,” Jones said. “It’s really just cleaning up and focusing.”
Jones enjoys the music he performs in “Gothic Renaissance” as well as music specific to his section.
“Cadence (a section of music only played by the drumline) this year is a lot of fun,” Jones said. “It’s probably the best tune, in my opinion. But the show’s music is pretty great, too.”
Caption by Katie Martin. Photo by Wren Vanderford.

WOODWINDS AND WISDOM: Senior Liliana Escamilla performs the beginning of Movement Two at Band’s show, Bandapalooza, on Aug. 22. Escamilla has been a member of Band for the past three years, serving as the Woodwind Captain and Movement Captain for this upcoming season.
“I am in charge of all woodwind instruments on the field,” Escamilla said. “I also work with Mr. Junkin choreographing the show.”
Bandapalooza is the annual performance for the band to show off to the parents what they have learned so far.
“They get to watch to see how our band rehearses every morning,” Escamilla said. “We end the rehearsal with a performance.”
Last year they placed third in regionals, and are working hard so they can perform well this year.
“The show is definitely more difficult than last year’s,” Escamilla said. “I am excited for the challenge.”
The show is comprised of four movements, with two learned so far.
“My favorite part is probably movement 2,” Escamilla said. “Specifically my sax duet with Will.”
Caption by Carson Duncan. Photo by Wren Vanderford.