In the 2025 marching season, the Soundwave performed their show titled “Ode to Joy,” featuring Festive Overture by Shostakovich, Little Blue by Jacob Collier, and Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Nearly 150 dedicated Soundwave musicians brought this show to life.
“Ode to Joy” was performed at multiple competitions, including the Gulf Coast Invitational at Biloxi High School, where the Soundwave placed first overall.
At the White Sands competition in Foley, Alabama, the band placed second overall, earned all ones (highest scoring), several “Best in Class” awards, and the color guard took home Best Overall Guard. Finally, at marching MPA in Fort Walton Beach, the band earned straight superiors, the highest possible score.
“It’s probably the best marching band season I’ve ever taught or been a part of,” says Alex Singletary, Soundwave Band Director. “The execution was far above anything it has ever been… I am beyond proud of the work everyone put in to make this show what it was.”
Competitions are a highlight, but nothing quite matches the energy of Friday nights. Everyone gets in uniform and marches over the overpass to the football field (or piles onto buses for away games), gathers in the stands, dances to cadences, and blasts stand tunes until halftime arrives. When the band takes the field and the trumpet section sounds the first note of the show, “Ode to Joy” truly begins.
This season was extra special, as it marked Mr. Singletary’s fourth year as Gulf Breeze High School’s band director, which means his original freshman class has now completed their senior year marching season. For them, this marching season had a bittersweet ending; for freshmen, it was only the beginning.
For those just starting their marching band journey, the season delivered memories they will hold onto forever.
Journey Conklin, clarinet, says, “It was so much fun when the Drum Majors attacked us with water balloons at band camp and at the last rehearsal.”
Kinsley Chapman, color guard, remembers, “A funny memory from this season was when one of the props almost fell on Nya and I had to save her.”
And Abby Pulling, trumpet, adds, “I really love the people. These guys [the trumpet section] are weirdos, but I guess they’re pretty cool, only sometimes.”
Finally, Haley Hall, trombone, says, “It has been my favorite part of high school so far, I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
While some members have more seasons ahead, seniors are saying goodbye to something that shaped their high school experience.
Danny Mazel, trombone and band captain, says, “I love marching band because of the community. It is such a large group of people who are so much fun to be around. It has really meant a lot to me.”
James Dugas, trumpet, says, “Everyone here has one goal in common; we all just want to come together to make the impossible possible.”
Vera Custred, clarinet, states, “It has meant getting to spend so much time with my friends over the years. It has given me so many memories I would not trade for the world.”
And Kennedy Miller, horn, says, “Marching band gave me a unique high school experience, and I had the time of my life. I could not have had more fun doing anything else.”
Finally, Drum Majors, Julia Fink says, “It’s all worth the hard work once everything comes together” and Amelia DeVasConCellos says, “It’s my favorite time of the year, I love hanging out with my friends.”
The marching season is full of long days, hard work, and exhausting moments that are all worth it in the end. And even though the band is not done for the year, nothing else truly compares to the shared experience of building a show from the ground up, performing it beneath stadium lights, spending all your time with your section, and knowing you are spending high school doing something truly special.
The Soundwave ended the season on a strong note, holding onto the band’s motto: “Be good, do good, have fun.”
This season was meaningful beyond words, and while no article can capture everything marching band is, it can still celebrate what mattered most. And finally, if the season could be encompassed to just three words, to describe what it is at its core, Mr. Singletary chooses simply: “Ode to Joy.”