Music has always been an art form of utility. Whether heralding the entrance of the king or singing the sacred scripture, music can serve many functions. Santa Maria High School Director of Bands Ulises Valdivia makes sure that one of his ensembles, the marching band, is rooted firmly in the tradition of the genre.
“We don’t do field band. We do parade band, which preps us for the Elks Rodeo parade and the Christmas parade,” Valdivia said. “It comes from the Marine marching-band style, which is very mathematical.”
While performing on their instruments, marching band students must be able to march together in time, stay in synchronized shapes, and stay consistent in a march for more than a mile.
“Being able to make musical phrases while marching, it can be kind of hard if you are out of shape,” Valdivia said. “I train them pretty hard for a month and half before we perform.”
During class, marching band students will spend time just practicing the music, which is important. But, once music is learned, Valdivia won’t hesitate to march his students around the school’s track while playing music.
“I know when I was a student, if there was a marching day, I would try to find an excuse not to march,” he said. “So I don’t put out a schedule. I don’t tell them when we’re marching because I know we’ll get excuses.
“They don’t really enjoy the marching, but once we get into, it they get competitive,” he added, “because it is a competition.”
The Elks Rodeo parade includes an award for best high school marching band, a distinction Santa Maria’s marching band has won for the last two years. The band performs a certain selection, often with choreography, for the judges at the parade, before completing the rest of the mile-plus march.
“I stay very traditional,” Valdivia said. “We do a lot of old, traditional American marches by John Philip Souza and Henry Fillmore, composers from the turn of the century, when marches were very popular.”
Because of the traditional approach that Validivia takes, much of the choreography used is straight from the military handbook. Marching bands were traditionally used to keep platoons of soldiers all marching to the same beat.
“We go around and around the track, and, you know, eventually it starts sinking in—the timing making sure everyone is in step, phrasing, and staying together,” Valdivia said.
When getting ready for the Elks parade or the Christmas parade, it’s imperative the band marches regularly, Valdivia explained.
“I train them pretty hard for a month and a half,” he said. “We march anywhere between two and three miles per week, and I do that for about six weeks before the parade.”
When it finally hits the pavement on parade day, the band has a couple things to worry about outside of the music and marching. During the Elks parade, which is held in early summer, the students can quickly overheat.
“If it’s a hot day, they can dehydrate quickly and it can be uncomfortable for them,” Valdivia said. “The Elks parade is a little over a mile, and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes, so you can dehydrate because you are walking and playing. It’s very tiring.”
Valdivia and several volunteer parents walk along the sidelines with the band to make sure nobody is in danger of heat stroke or dehydration. But, with proper training and preparation, Valdivia has never had a problem.
“That’s why we train so hard,” he said. “So they know what they are going to be going through.”
From the reservation
The Chumash Casino Resort presents live music in its Samala Showroom including Christopher Cross on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. The Eagles tribute band Hotel California performs on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. Both shows happen at the Chumash Casino Resort, 2400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez. Cost is $25, $35, and $45. More info: 1-800-CHUMASH or chumashcasino.com.
Bringing the funk
The Anything’s Possible Band performs live rock, blues, jazz, pop, rock, funk, and soul on Jan. 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cool Hand Luke’s, 1331 Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria. More info: jenbrodes@aol.com.
It takes two
The Lompoc Concert Association presents violinist Arianna Warsaw-Fan and cellist Meta Weiss in concert Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 925 North F St., Lompoc. Cost is $25, $5 for students. More info: 737-1809 or lompocconcert.org.
A musical equation
Equalequals performs live dance music on Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. at Shaw’s Steakhouse, 714 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. Cost is $5. More info: 925-5862.
Live from the runway
The Radisson Hotel offers live music Fridays and Saturdays including The Mix performing Jan. 24 and 25 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria. More info: 928-8000.
Dinner and a show
The Costa de Oro Winery presents dinner and a concert featuring the Damon Castillo Band on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the winery, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria. Cost is $20 including dinner. More info: 922-1468 or cdowinery.com.
Get down at D’Vine
The D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro features Sixteen56 live on Jan. 25, Andrew Beal on Jan. 28, and Tony Botello live on Jan. 29 with shows starting at 7:30 p.m. Karaoke nights are Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro, 107 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc. More info: 430-8356 or facebook.com.
Let it flow
Creative Juices Lounge presents a blue jam with Ted Waterhouse on Sundays from 3 to 6 p.m. at the lounge, 874 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe. More info: 219-0518 or creativejuiceslounge.com.
Always open
Lucia’s Wine Co. offers an open mic event featuring wine, poetry, and live music on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the tasting room, 126 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt. More info: 332-3080.
Maverick music
The Maverick Saloon offers live entertainment, including live country and rock by Dusty Jugz on Jan. 24 at 8:45 p.m., followed by “Late Night with guest DJs” at 11:30 p.m. “Concert on the Deck” featuring John Lyle is Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. The RY Bradley Band performs on Jan. 25 at 8:45 p.m., followed by “Late Night with guest DJs” at 11:30 p.m. at the saloon, 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. More info: 686-4785 or mavericksyv@aol.com.
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 23-30, 2014.
