The Cam High marching band competed all day Saturday Nov. 5, in the Simi Valley Band Spectacular held by the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA), at Simi Valley High School, and ended just short of the championship. Cam High’s band, consisting of about 130 musicians, competed in the division 4A bracket for southern California high school students against Santa Monica, Westlake, Quartz Hills, and Grenada Hills.

The competition and scores were split into different categories: Band, Percussion, and Auxiliary. Cam High won first place in percussion and third place overall, while Westlake High School won the overall competition.

Belvedere was proud that the band’s hard work paid off worked toward qualifying for the SCSBOA championship, because Cam High did not qualify in the last four years. “A big achievement was our percussion getting first place and our band getting a score of 74.1, beating many other schools, and getting one of the best scores Cam has ever gotten,” said senior and drum major Vincent Belvedere.

This year, the band’s show was called, “Homesick” and included various props and new choreographed visuals. “Going into this competition, a lot of us were feeling a little discouraged due to the fact that some of the music was [introduced to us so recently],” said drum captain, Omar Reyes, senior. “This performance taught me that as long as you do your job and keep a positive mentality there is really nothing to worry about.” Reyes said that he felt accomplished with the band’s scores and hoped to do well in their next competitions.

For future competitions, the marching band plans to improve their scores, qualify for championships, and continue progressing as musicians. “I felt quite good about what we gave on Saturday. It was really hope-inspiring, we scored one of our best scores and the group really deserved it,” said Sam Perry, junior, member of the band. “I really hope we can have positive outcomes [at the next competition] because we truly have a chance of going to championships.”

The Cam High marching band competed again on Saturday, November 12, at Oxnard High School in the morning, and Moorpark High School in the evening. The band ended up 3.3 points away from qualifying for the championships in the last band competition of this year.