The hot Texas sun beat down on the football stadium as dozens of band trailers sat in the parking lot and hundreds of band students from across Texas watched. Akins High School was up for a preliminary run, and a student behind the front ensemble adjusted a bright red sequin suit that made him stand out.
His Ibanez Jem 77 BRMR mirror-finish guitar shimmered under the fluorescent lights. The announcer called for Akins to begin their show, and junior Sam Martinez waited for his moment.
In the show’s fourth movement, he emerged from under a prop, lifted his guitar, and played his solo — a variation of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” adapted for the marching program.
“You just get a different sense of confidence,” Martinez commented later. “It felt like the best thing that could have happened to me this year.”
A Defining Moment
Martinez’s walk onto the field became a defining moment of the show. In a marching performance that featured metal over classical orchestral music, he delivered a guitar solo to the largest audience of his life.
“I think so, a few hundred people,” he said regarding the crowd size.
Although electric guitars don’t have a section in a marching band, the moment came together naturally, earning high ratings from judges and audience members alike.
From Practice Room to Spotlight
Before the spotlight, Martinez was known for something else: the volume of his practice sessions.
“Somebody commented to me that I’m really loud in the practice rooms. I didn’t realize I was being that loud,” he admitted.
Martinez first got involved with the band through the jazz band class.
“I was in jazz band just… I hate to use this word, but shredding,” he said.
The band directors took note of his skill and invited him to join the marching band for a solo spot.
“They were in their office, and they told me to come in,” he said. “They invited me to be a soloist.”
The directors had been planning a metal-themed show for some time before they met Martinez.
“When we came up with this idea of ‘Metalmorphosis,’ we were like, man, how cool would it be to have like a metal guitar solo in the show? And as soon as we heard Martinez play, we’re like, oh, that’s perfect,” assistant band director William Kimmel said.
Keeping Tempo
For Martinez, the hardest part of the solo was keeping in tempo with the rest of the band.
”I struggled with putting a solo into the band’s choreography,” he explained. “At first it was too fast, then we slowed it down, then sped it up again. We managed to put it all together.”
Martinez said the struggle made the final product more meaningful. Each run of the show was cleaner, more together, and more impactful as the band learned to lock in with his tempo.
By the season’s final performance, Martinez had accomplished something he was truly proud of. “It all just clicked,” he said. “I felt like I had to give it everything for everyone out there”
Though the marching season is over, Martinez plans to stay involved with the marching program. He’s looking forward to other solo opportunities, including planning to form his own band outside of school.
