Marc Lund:
His efforts with the
section’s players
motivated them to be among
the best
By Bruce Smith
Matchup
When Marc Lund and the baratone section was on the
practice or playing field, they weighed in six pounds heavier than normal.
It wasn’t them, of course. It was their instrument. By
the end of the Bingham Marching Band’s season, Lund said the workouts made him 15
pounds lighter. In two years, he had lost 35 pounds.
“It was a lot of hard work,” said Lund, who was section
leader for two years. “We did Jazz running. It was a way to run while keeping
your upper body still. With the baratone, you have to hold it up and it’s a
heavy instrument. You have to have good back and shoulder muscles.”
The baratones probably just looked at the flute section
and rolled their eyes, but their hard work paid off. Besides the extra
conditioning, most of the group learned a new instrument. While Lund was
proficient with it, most of the others were not.
“People don’t realize is that almost 80 percent of our
section consists of trombone players and they had to learn the (baratone)
instrument when they came in. (Bingham band director Darin) Graber doesn’t like
the marching trombone in our band. It’s a long instrument and I assume that’s
why we don’t have it.”
There were nine people in the section. Graber said what
set the group apart was its discipline. Last year, they had perfect attendance
and this season was near-perfect.
“Their record since Marc has been section leader has been
great,” he said. “He works them hard, but they enjoyed being there.”
“I was really impressed with the rookies this year,” Lund
said. “A lot of my baratones did incredibly well. The group we had were more
devoted and had higher morale. They seemed more motivated every time we did
something.”
Lund’s musical career has also been impressive, and came
to fruition this year. He comes from a musical family. His dad is a singer, and
mom plays the piano. He started playing the baratone in seventh grade, the trombone
in ninth grade and tuba the year after.
He was named the baratone’s section leader because the
group did not have a senior. This year, he teamed with his good friend, Alex
Ford. He said one of the team’s biggest issues was trying to motivate some of
the newer kids, but as the season progressed, they all got better.
Graber said many of the baratone players were involved in
other activities – soccer, choir, theater and more. However, they arranged
their schedules that worked out for everyone. Even Lund had other interests –
Mountain Biking Club, woodworking – that weren’t affected.
That kind of
teamwork helped Bingham reach a goal – third place at the Bands of America
competition in St. George. Lund said that was easily the team’s season
highlight.
“It was exciting for all of us, especially because of the
way we finished,” he said. “We had a great group of players and strong
performers.”
The Marching Band season ended on a high note for
everyone. After high school, Lund said he planned to serve an LDS Church mission
and then go to a Utah college, majoring in business with perhaps a minor in
art.
“Not sure how much music I’ll be playing,” he said. “If I
minor in music, I’ll still play and I hope to be part of a band.”
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