The student-run Polka Band defended their state champion title for the third year at the Texas State German Contest on March 1 at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Conducted by Landon Bynum, the ensemble includes: Addison Andrews, Manuel Soria, Lauren Ward, and Malia Wolff (also on drums) playing the trombone, Eva Graebe and Francisco Romero playing the trumpet, Freddy Lin and Lauren VanWunnik playing the flute, Annika Lorine playing the french horn, Mahira Momin playing the bass clarinet, Meher Rajpal playing the piccolo, and Allison Sobrinho playing the Oboe.

Recognized by its upbeat and fun tune, the German music differs from pieces played in Band or Orchestra as junior Landon Bynum admits it “sounds a bit odd”.

“It’s certainly not for everyone, I don’t know if anyone really enjoys it, except for 70-year-olds,” Bynum said. “But it’s fun to play, fun to perform.”

As his third year a part of Polka and second year conducting, Bynum speaks on the experience of acting as the “glue” that connects the ensemble. It ultimately led to him gaining the opportunity to become drum major in marching band last season.

“We did one piece called “Annen-Polka”, and that one’s slow and kind of boring,” Bynum said. “But I chose it to contrast the second piece, which was called “Ohne Sorgen”. Which is really fast and very technical, and much more fun than the first piece. So I chose them to kind of contrast each other, show the judges that we can do both technical and slow and pretty.”

Junior Annika Lorine expresses the excitement when playing music out of one’s comfort zone. Although there was pressure from the expectation to continue the band’s streak, junior Allison Sobrinho was confident in their ability to deliver an impressive performance for the judges.

“Polka Band is a smaller group,” Sobrinho said. “We have about 13 members, which is on the larger side for most bands that compete. This year, Landon arranged our music for us. So he picked [the pieces] and then specifically arranged it for our ensemble.” 

Sobrinho compares Polka Band to Band, highlighting the close-knit environment, allowing the musicians to be more aware of their sound.

“You have to be more proactive in playing your music better,” Sobrinho said. “So I think it’s helped me become a better musician in some ways or at least a more confident musician.”

To ensure engagement and a cohesive performance, Bynum emphasizes mutual eye contact. However, Sobrinho notes that because it’s all student-led, student leaders don’t always have the most authority. 

“One of the benefits of having a student conductor who is your peer, I think they’re more open to having ideas from their peers,” Lorine said. “So say there’s like an issue with something happening in the music. We could probably pitch in an idea on how to help and who would be able to dig into it.”

Although Bynum describes rehearsals as “very unserious” and “lighthearted”. Polka band collectively recall baking mug cakes and having outdoor rehearsal being their fondest moments from the trip.

“I think one of the things that’s good about the Polka band is because we all know each other pretty well, we can laugh about something and then try to move on,” Lorine said. “So it makes for a lot of funny moments.”