It was a challenge to find a quiet place near the Dartmouth High School auditorium on August 1. Amid the clamor of trumpets, drums and tubas going off in rooms bordering the stage, Dartmouth High senior student conductor Dom Vaccari and sophomore conductor-in-training Val Paynton found solace in a foyer.

Vaccari and Paynton are members of the school’s marching band, and from August 1 to August 3, they trained alongside over 100 other people at the school’s Mini Band Camp, the first major practice session of the new year for the program.

For her role as the newest conductor, Paynton received a lot of her training directly from Vaccari. The two were hard at work practicing their hand gestures early morning, and Paynton began to realize just how challenging her new role would be.

“At first I thought it would be easy, but there is a lot more to conducting than I thought,” Paynton said.

Vaccari added that the role is especially important to train for because of the broad responsibilities the student conductor holds in overseeing the rest of the band.

“We do a bunch of different things for everyone. We are responsible for making sure everything runs right,” Vaccari said.

Elsewhere throughout the school, 20 drummers kept up beats in a small classroom. Across the hall, brass players added to the mix of music. The auditorium's entire stage was covered with xylophones and other large instruments.

The main goal of the three-day camp was to both solidify the number of students who will be committing to the band program, and to prepare members for their first event of the new season—marching through New Bedford in the Madeira Parade on August 7—said Band Director Bill Kingsland.

In addition to rehearsing and practicing their music, students practiced a number of marching techniques (including how to move in a parade and play at the same time), worked on drills, developed stretching routines and more, said Kingsland.

“We want to start getting the kids in shape through physical conditioning, and show them the right techniques for marching,” Kingsland said. “The front end of it is a lot of work.”

Kingsland added that the Mini Band Camp is one of two major camps. The main camp runs from August 15 to August 25, and will prepare students for events during the regular school year, including performing at football games, parades, and competitions.