By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The Pride of Cove Band & Color Guard are now in week three of the full band coming together and learning to work as one unit ahead of their fall marching and performance season.
Mario Morales, the new Director of Instrumental Music for the Copperas Cove Independent School District has been leading the group of more than 200 students. Three weeks ago, the band’s leadership started back, to include drum majors and section leaders. Last week was the first week with the full band.
Madeline Gorres is a junior and is the lead drum major.
“These kids are amazing. They really allow me to keep going every day. The commitment they’re willing to put into band is heartwarming. They’re the whole reason that I’m here,” Gorres said.
“I feel like this show is so different from other shows in great way. It’s such a beautiful show, and has a beautiful theme with it, which I love. There’s an intense amount of growth that these kids have put into the work, and they’ve grown so much, even before summer band.”
Romella Spitzer is a freshman and plays alto saxophone. She is now in her fourth year in band, having played for three years in junior high, but now she finally gets to march on the field and perform.
“I’m excited about this because I’m longer a kid in band – I’m in the band. I get to experience it on the field,” she said. “I used to watch my brother, and now it’s my turn.”
She said she will forever love concert band, because she gets to perform for people.
“It’s my favorite thing,” she said. “For this show, it’s very elegant. I really see it as like a very like elegant performance.”
The band’s marching show for 2025 and is called “Frames of Time.”
The band had a hint of what is to come, back in June when the boosters met Morales and watched a brief video.
The show speaks to nostalgia and looking back, while looking ahead at the same time – “The past informs the future.”
“It is about a powerful exploration of time and perspective seen through the ever shifting lens of our lives by capturing each moment through a unique visual and musical filter,” Morales said of the show. “This production offers a seamless journey of transformation from nostalgia to modern clarity.”
He said so far, the band has been working very hard on structure, building trust, and starting with the basics. This year, the band is also using a method called Ultimate Field Book, and each band member has received a subscription, said Morales.
“It’s been a process that I’ve really enjoyed so far,” Morales said. “This year, we have added what we call the Body Vitamin. This show has a lot more focus on dance and ballet than the past years, so we added a lot more ballet stretches and things like that.”
Morales is in his first year at CCISD. The central Texas native came to the district from Yoakum ISD. Yoakum’s Bulldog Band earned a 1st-division rating at Region Marching Contest in 2024 and went to the UIL Area E Finals in Class 3A. In 2025, Morales’ band earned Sweepstakes honor at UIL Concert & Sight-reading Contest.
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