Marching to Victory

  Our Panther Pride Marching Band celebrated a successful close to the 2024-2025 marching season after a final performance of their show, Anastasia, at the Homecoming game on November 7th.  This season’s show headlined drum majors Katherine Fasula and Sarah Mercer, as well as Color Guard soloists, Gabby Saunders as Anastasia and Abigail Brenes as The Villain (Rasputin). It also featured musical classics, such as Once Upon a December from Anastasia the Musical and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables.  

  Upon welcoming a dedicated new band director, Pam Chaffin, the Nease Marching Band and Color Guard earned outstanding marks at district FFCC (Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit) competitions. The Panther Pride Band placed 3rd in their division at the FFCC Regional at Orange Park High School, showing major improvement from the first FFCC competition at Tocoi Creek High School, where they placed 6th.  

  Before wrapping up the outdoor season, the Marching Band represented Nease at MPA (Music Performance Assessments) hosted by the FBA (Florida Bandmasters Association) at Bartram Trail High School, where they earned superior marks across all categories.  

  Now that the outdoor competition season is over, the band will shift gears to Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Winter Guard, while continuing to support Nease Football in the state playoffs.  

By: Keeley Rissman

Sources:

RVianolytics. (2024, October 4). The Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit FFCC – FFCC. FFCC. https://ffcc.org/ 

Florida Music Education: FMEA & FSMA. (n.d.). https://flmusiced.org/ 

Picture: 2024-2025-MarchingBandSeasonPhotos – Google Drive. (n.d.). Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sLZSeMxDy0qhhGsWVk1bZ-UOpMhsqgOe