Southwestern College would likely have a pretty good marching band…if it had a marching band.
A talented cohort of former high school band and drill team standouts at SWC have marched themselves to the Montezuma Mesa to join the San Diego State Aztecs Marching Band and continue their music performance careers.
Jessica Gonzalez, 19, and Kakeisha Manning, 20, are SWC Jaguars and members of SDSU’s color guard. Manning said she first became interested in color guard when she attended games at the SDSU games with her friends. Gonzalez, captain of her high school color guard, joined SDSU’s squad because her friends persuaded her.
“You meet really nice people and overall it feels very welcoming,” she said.
Manning said she practices for two hours, three times a week, and she has to make sure classes allow her to perform at SDSU home games.
“What makes us different is that people are there because they want to be there,” she said.
There are about 300 students in the SDSU band program, Manning said. Some come back after they earn degrees because playing is their passion.
“There are a bunch of different age groups,” she said. “I know some of them you look up to like an older sibling and some of them you look at like your younger sister who you want to take under your wing. It’s like a family.”
Victor Soto, 19, is an SWC student and was in the Aztecs Marching Band for a season. He played four years in the San Ysidro High School band and plans to join the U.S. Navy and play in its high-profile ensemble.
Soto said his first experience playing at Qualcomm Stadium with the Marching Aztecs gave him chills. He has even missed out on a family reunion, he said, so he could play at Aztecs homecoming game.
“It’s more like a fun thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do music if I can’t have fun.”
Gonzalez said she likes band because it is like a family. One of her most memorable moments was going to a trip in New Orleans in fall of 2011, she said. Gonzalez and her bandmates enjoyed a four-day stay due to the SDSU football team winning many games, making the band and color guard eligible to perform in the bowl.
“Bowl games were really fun,” she said. “It was a really cool experience.”
Manning recalls her first experience with the Marching Aztecs during the first game of the season.
“It’s a huge deal at State,” she said. “There’s a bunch of tailgaters and large crowds. The first game is a bigger deal than homecoming. Everyone is super pumped.”
Band musicians are as much a part of the game as the players. Musicians begin their routine with the “warrior walk” and parade through the tailgaters in the parking lots. They also play pregame music in the stadium before the football team enters.
Although the color guard and marching band are unit classes, the students enrolled are mostly there to have fun, said Manning. They also do a pretty good job helping others to have fun.
