By NewsLine Staff
mail@floridanewsline.com

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Ocean of Sound began its own odyssey when it traveled to Leesburg, Fla. for the Central Florida Marching Arts Invitational and performed its 2019 show, “Odyssey,” for the first time in competition.

Despite having a young band (40 freshmen joined this year), the Ocean of Sound’s hard work and dedication over the past several months paid off and the band put on a very strong performance. Competing against 12 other bands from around the state, the band won its division and placed second overall for the entire competition, including beating two larger Division 5A schools. Ocean of Sound received both “Superior” and “Best in Class” scores for Visuals, Music, General Effect, Percussion and Color Guard at the Central Florida Marching Arts Invitational, a Florida Marching Band Championship (FMBC) event.

Next, the Ocean of Sound traveled to Fleming Island on Oct. 12 to compete in the Golden Eagle Classic marching band competition. Featuring 18 high school marching bands primarily from northeast Florida, the competition provided the Ocean of Sound an opportunity to observe other marching bands and refine “Odyssey” as they prepare for the biggest test of all, the Florida Marching Band Competition in November. The Ocean of Sound dazzled the crowd and won their class as well as the entire competition. The judges rated the band as superior and best in class in all categories, but band director Jermaine Reynolds was especially proud that the judges’ awarded the Auxiliary a superlative of “Outstanding” for the first time in the band’s history, as well as an “Outstanding” for Percussion.

After leading the Ponte Vedra High School marching band to a historic fifth place finish at the FMBC state championship in 2018, band director Reynolds and his assistants created a complex, modern and exciting show for 2019. Entitled “Odyssey,” the show’s choreography and music are fresh, fun, and engaging and the props are literally out of this world. Sheet metal “worm holes” are lit with LED lights and used as portals between space and time. In addition, the band adopted new show uniforms that reflect the theme of the show.

 

Photo courtesy Joanna K Aman 

 

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