By: Owen Fugit

Editorial Editor

The Los Gatos High School marching band is in full swing with their new show “Legacy,” which honors the marching band students who came before and sets a precedent for students in the years to come. Band director Ken Nakamoto explained, “The idea [for Legacy] initially spurred from us as a marching band staff trying to figure out what our show was going to be the following year” until a difficult question surfaced. “What can we do that will highlight the membership of our program?” With these core principles in mind, Nakamoto and Jackson Baker, the Assistant Director of the Marching Band, crafted Legacy to give students inside and outside the band a sense of history and presence in the marching band program.

“Mr. Nakamoto and I actually started working on this show during the end of last year’s marching band season. It all started with a Spotify playlist called “Cool Music for Marching Band,” where we compiled some inspiration music for what we wanted this next show to sound like. After several draft ideas, we finally settled on the timeline for Legacy around the end of December.” said Baker. 

Nakamoto is a relatively new face at LGHS, taking the band director position only two years ago. He likened his replacement of Mr. Hill to a sports team changing coaches, which he said has huge effects on the culture and composition of the team. Nakamoto said that Legacy is “our chance as a band for us to start building the team, culture, and program that we want. It’s also our chance to honor the people who came before us in the program, highlighting current members as we lead into the future of the program.” Class culture is important to Nakamoto, and he explained that creating a good culture now will make the marching band “unstoppable” in only a few years. 

Legacy features the talented color guard alongside marching band, working in sync to put on a one-of-a-kind show. Nakamoto admitted that this level of coordination was “a lot of work” and that there was “no easy way around it.” But Nakamoto and Baker, along with numerous staff members, administrators, and students, have produced a wonderfully choreographed show. Baker also corrected the common misconception that “marching band and color guard aren’t two separate entities, but rather the color guard is a “section” of the marching band,” something most students may not know. 

According to Baker, “‘Legacy’ as a show is about honoring the past and moving forward into the future…I hope students use the skills learned in marching band for the rest of their lives. Not how to march or spin their flag; but to strive to do something to the best of their ability, to self-analyze and make corrections, to think and work collaboratively with others, to lean on their friends and peers for support.” The marching band will be performing Legacy until the final performance of the season at Independence High School on Nov. 4.