High school bands across the Rio Grande Valley are gearing up for the upcoming marching season.

But as most people know, the Valley summers can be brutal—especially when your practicing on asphalt and lugging around heavy equipment.

With football season just weeks away, the Raymondville Early College High School Bearkat band is already hard at work, preparing for another shot at a state title.

Drum Major Adriana Sierra said last year's runner-up finish has the band hungry for more.

"Last year, we ended up on a high note, we got runner up state," Sierra said.

For junior Stephen Garza, the start of marching season means carrying a 35-pound tuba.

"Marching with a tuba, it can be extremely tiring. This thing weighs around 30 to 35 pounds," Garza said.

But this year, there's more than music and marching to think about.

Starting August 1, UIL is requiring schools to follow new heat safety standards during outdoor practices.

"The past couple of years, it's been recommended guidelines, and now this year UIL said it's mandated," Head Band Director Benjamin Keltner said.

That means checking conditions before practice and making changes when the heat becomes too much.

"So directors, coaches, they can have an app on their phone that measures WGBT, it's a little bit confusing but it's measuring air temp, your humidity, wind speed and radiant heat," Keltner said.

Keltner said his program has been following those guidelines the last several years.

"Since we rehearse in the evenings, we don't have to worry about that because the temps are much lower," Keltner said.

But still, even when outside, Keltner says he stays on top of weather conditions and builds in regular water breaks.

For Sierra, those water breaks, or as the band calls them 'splash and dash,' help keep the focus on what matters most, getting ready for the first performance of the season and a winning title

"As a team, we kind of just motivate each other. If we see one of us falling behind, even in the heat, we pick each other up. It works for us," Sierra said.

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