WHS Band makes Area Finalist

The Wimberley High School Spirit of Texas Marching Band made it all the way to the Area Finals over the weekend, which is the closest the band has been to State since 2010.

Area D, which is the division Wimberley was competing in, spans almost all the way to Fort Worth, and only 27 bands received the superior ratings necessary to make it to Area. The Spirit of Texas band made the finals along with nine other teams.

“Every other band in the finals had been to the state marching contest within the last few years,” Band Director John Winebrenner said. “We were going up against some state level bands.”

Wimberley’s unique program received praise from the judges.

“One judge commented on the difficulty level of the show and how our-sized band was able to march such a difficult show,” Winebrenner said. “Our music was tough and our marching was tough, but the kids really executed.”

The program was based around the Funeral March of a Marionette, and the band and color guard played the part.

“It opens with a clarinet solo and our color guard captain dancing around the soloist like a puppet master pulling the strings,” Winebrenner said. “Throughout the program, the band freezes in marionette poses. We have a spot where everyone goes into a collapsed marionette-like position.”

The band placed ninth in the finals, but only the top five go on to state. Still, it was one of the top finishes the Spirit of Texas Band has ever had.

“I am so proud of these kids,” Winebrenner said. “I pushed them, and they stepped up to the expectations and exceeded them.”

While the marching contest season is over for Wimberley, the band will still perform halftime shows during football games. The next program available to the public will be the Christmas Concert on December 18.