Just a few miles from Inspired LED, in a quiet suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, Desert Vista High School it is home to a rigorous academic curriculum, a highly competitive athletic department, and a renowned fine arts program. Among the most notable of their organizations is the Desert Vista Thunder Marching Band.
Each morning, beginning in late summer, neighborhood residents become familiar with the waking revelry of trumpets and horns, the rumble of drums signaling the start of a new school year. Throughout the fall season, members of the DV Marching Band, under the leadership of Director Josh Thye, spend their morning hours on the football field practicing and perfecting a new year’s performance.
Over the past few years the band has risen to local prominence, taking first place in the Arizona State Marching Band Championship from 2010 to 2013. But in 2014, the prize was taken by rival high school, Sandra Day O’Connor. So this year, the DV Marching Band set out to reclaim the title with their 2015 field show, entitled “To the Future”. A musically and choreographically challenging piece, the compilation features music from Disneyland’s “Space Mountain”, the movie “Signs”, and finally, the classic theme from “Back to the Future”.
Seeking to give their performance a little something extra, DV Band boosters reached out to the Design Team at Inspired LED this fall, looking for a way to enhance their show with some LED lighting. The goal was to create a series of metal tripods which could be assembled and lit during the performance for a stunning and surprising visual component.
Excited by the unique application, our designers took up the challenge. They helped to layout the plans, using Ultra Bright Cool White flex strips which could be mounted to each pole using adhesive backing. The pole lights were set up to be powered using 12V battery packs, and controlled using Inspired LED’s Wireless RF Dimmer Remotes. This combination of products made it possible for the tripods to be moved and assembled easily during the performance, then activated at the crescendo near the end of the piece (see minute 11:00 in the dress rehearsal video here.)
After months of practice, the Desert Vista Thunder Marching Band had perfected their performance, and were ready to take their show on the road to the 2015 ABODA State Marching Band Championships. Finals were held on Saturday November 14th at Glendale Community College. After a full day of watching the competition, Desert Vista took to the stage with their rendition of “To the Future”. The performance was a tremendous success!
Thanks to the hard work of the students, and the dedicated support of their teachers and family members, the Desert Vista Marching Band took home first place in this year’s Division 1 ABODA State Marching Band Competition! They beat out nine other Division 1 high schools, earning a total of 90.19 points, along with the awards for outstanding percussion, and best visual performance! The Desert Vista Marching Band will subsequently be representing Arizona at the Fiesta Bowl’s National Tournament of Bands on December 30th.
Inspired LED wishes to congratulate the Desert Vista Band on their spectacular success. We are so glad to have been able to support you in your accomplishment and are eager to see what new and amazing performances you develop over the coming years. Here’s to the future!
For information or assistance with your unique lighting application, visit our website to learn more about our products, or take advantage of our free Design Services by requesting a complimentary layout and quote here. Inspired LED is a proud supporter of Desert Vista High School, and our local Phoenix-area community.
Sources Cited:
http://www.ahwatukee.com/news/article_e568b1e2-87cc-11e5-a200-175cce52f0fc.html
http://thunderband.org/
