Marching to perfection

Mike May sounds like a drill sergeant on Santa Rita High School's football field - giving orders and working hard with his dedicated group of marching band students on a hot and muggy Tucson morning.

"Do I have to yell or we gonna get it done?" he asked over a portable loudspeaker set up near the field. "We can't fight each other on this one."

May and his troupe of about 90 Santa Rita students are preparing for football season.

More than 80 of them form a large, perfect square, moving as one person.

For all the bravado and harsh talk, his students love him.

"I am obsessed with music and Mr. May is awesome," said Cynthia LeDezma, 15, a sophomore. "We are becoming better every year; we have the best band."

May, 27, began his teaching career at Santa Rita five years ago, after graduating from the University of Arizona, where he was the band's drum major.

"I started playing in a band in sixth grade. I had a great time and I wanted to give kids that same opportunity," he said.

Josh Madison, 17, is in his senior year at Santa Rita and credits May's leadership for bringing out the talent in the students.

"His toughness motivates us," he said. "When he came to teach, the band had less than 30 people. Now we are almost 100. It's gotten bigger and better. The talent level just went up."

After spending the last couple of years as a drummer in the band, Ashley Gildea, 16, said she's going to be a drum major this year.

"I came here to work and make a better name for (the) band," she said, speaking of her motivation.

Tyler Julander, 15, followed in his family's footsteps all the way to the marching band.

"My brother was in the marching band at Santa Rita. My father was in this marching band in this same high school," he said. "I like it. I love music."

Most students join the band because they love music, performing and their school, said Nicole Dolce, the color guard instructor.

"The marching band is full of very unique individuals," she said. "They want to belong to something they believe in, something bigger than themselves."