The Auburn Maroon Vanguard marching band wants to arrest the competition this fall while tooting its light-hearted look reflection of criminality.

With shackles cuffing the ankles of chain-gang jumpsuit-wearing musicians and colorguardsmen donned in officer garb suited for correction officers, the 115-member marching band is taking the prison out of the Auburn Correctional Facility and assigning it to the various athletic fields on which it will perform during the six-week march to the Carrier Dome for the annual New York State Field Band Conference championships.

But while band members' eyes are gazing at the Oct. 26 championship competition in Syracuse, the sound of clinking chains begins today as the Auburn Enlarged City School District marching band unveils its brand-new Jailhouse Rock-themed show at the season's first competition against Union-Endicott High School. The show is slated for 6 p.m. at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

“I just think that the band has worked tremendously hard,” trumpet player Kyle Muldoon said. “We learned our entire show in three days ... and we've worked very hard to get the show presentable. I'm really excited for (the first competition and the season), obviously. It's a big step for the band.”

Musicians spent last spring learning the musical lineup, four jailhouse tunes - the theme song to “Mission Impossible,” “Cell Block Tango” from the Broadway show “Chicago,” “Desperado” by the Eagles and “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley - and all band members cut short their summer breaks to learn the show's movements.

But music and costumes aren't enough for this marching band. To augment the prison theme, band members will tote around jail-cell facades and prison towers, made by inmates at the Auburn Correctional Facility, to use as props.

And there will be a taste for the theatrical, as the sound of simulated prison announcements will also fill the air.

“I see it as an adventure for this season,” colorguardsman Joseph Townsend said of the theatrics. It's something when you're freezing cold in the pouring rain ... it's just a lot of fun to put a smile on and do what we do best.“

Director Ed Meier, who arranged the music and wrote the drills, doesn't really have expectations when it comes to this season's competitions.

“We'd like to set the bar kind of high,” he said, “but we always encourage the kids to go out and have fun and do their personal best.”

But some musicians and colorguardsmen already have high expectations of what the season will bring them. After placing second at last year's championship at the Carrier Dome, they believe this is the year that first place is within their grasp.

“This is probably been the year we've worked the hardest,” said Peter Speck, who plays the mallet percussion. “It's probably been the best year in my five years with the marching band, and I think we have a chance at winning this year.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net