Photos: Marion High School marching band will bring Paris to America with its halftime show

Seniors Savanah Pope (left), Anna Molitor (center) and Hayden West play the third movement of their halftime show for Marion High School’s marching band exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said one new thing they added to band camp this year is videotaping their halftime show to see sets from a new perspective. “When you’re in the middle of it, you can’t really process what’s happening. Then they can see it’s really obvious when someone moves, when everyone else has stopped.” Vander Wiel said. “Then, you take a video the next day, and you see more people have stopped moving.” (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Marion High School freshman Natalie Pope performs to the school song during their marching band exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said they bring in new band members a few days before camp to go through marching basics. “We go through the process really slowly with them so they can get a feel for what it is,” Vander Wiel said, “We’re really up-front with them that it’s an odd activity to do. I’ll often say ‘it’s not an activity we would invent, if it didn’t already exist.’” (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Marion High School snare line members junior Connor Bussey (left), senior Delanay Shindelar (center) and sophomore Myles Adolphs perform a drum cadence during their exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday. The theme for this year’s halftime show is “An American in Paris,” which features music from George Gershwin’s orchestral poem. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Senior Jamon Buhr and senior Andrew Kapler sit on top of the podium before the Marion High School marching band exhibition show begins at the high school football field in Marion on Friday. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said it’s been fun to see student leadership make sure the new students feel welcome. “We’ve been putting a big emphasis on supporting each other throughout the week,” Vander Wiel said. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Sophomore Nora Walton catches a rifle toss during Marion High School’s marching band exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday. The theme for this year’s halftime show is “An American in Paris,” which features music from George Gershwin’s orchestral poem. “This year the piece is turning 100 years old, and it’s just one of my favorite pieces of orchestral music,” Logan Vander Wiel, the band’s director, said. “We thought it would be a fun story to tell on the field with the music.” (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Junior Reagan Franks plays the xylophone for Marion High School’s marching band exhibition show on the football field in Marion on Friday. It was section dress-up day, where each section of the band picks a theme. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Marion High School junior Cole Meister waits under the shade of the keyboard for their exhibition show to begin on the high school football field in Marion on Friday. Temperatures in Eastern Iowa on Friday topped out near 90 degrees. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Kynlee MacDevitt and Jalynn Dewitt dance together in the first movement of Marion High School's marching band’s halftime show on the high school football field in Marion on Friday. This year’s theme is “An American in Paris,” which features music from George Gershwin. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said the music has some snippets of the French national anthem and other French elements to tie the show together. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Sophomore Emma Beltz and freshman Natalie Pope set up for the beginning of their halftime show at Marion High School’s football field in Marion on Friday. This year’s theme is “An American in Paris,” which features music from George Gershwin. Marion High School’s band director, Logan Vander Wiel, said this year’s ensemble has a lot of new faces. “It’s been really fun to see some of the younger kids really step up and fill in some of the leadership roles,” Vander Wiel said. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)