By: Brhiana Lee
Media Editor
The LGHS Marching Band kicked off its fall season by hosting its annual Eighth Grade Night during the first home football game on Sep. 4. Under new Band Director Michael Walker, the ensemble brought steady energy to the stands throughout the game. Fisher Middle School students joined the LGHS musicians on the bleachers for most of the game, getting a firsthand glimpse of what marching band will be like in high school and the community that awaits them.
The two groups performed the national anthem, ‘Sir Duke, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,’ and other recognizable pieces. For trumpet section leader and senior Gabe Riley, sharing the stands with the Fisher students was the best part of the night. “Seeing new freshmen who are very excited to play with the high schoolers is very cool,” he said. “Getting to know them better as they come into the next school year is always a highlight.” The eighth graders made their presence felt musically, too. “Without the middle schoolers, our high school band has a missing piece in how we sound,” Riley remarked. “With the middle schoolers playing with us, it just sounds ten times better.” He also noticed them singing along to songs with lyrics. “It’s just the culture coming together,” he mentioned.
Walker has transformed the program in his short time as director, and the students have distinctly responded. Drum major and senior Anya Agarwal has noticed those changes firsthand, particularly in the program’s structure and expectations: “There’s a lot more structure, and there’s a lot more discipline.” “Every single day is planned a lot more thoroughly. We have better, more thorough schedules and more thorough goals of what we want to get done.” Despite the increased structure, the changes have not made the program feel “overly strict,” Agarwal mentioned. “I think it’s nicer just because I feel like we’re getting a lot more stuff done, and it feels like we’re doing better than previous years.”
LGHS Athletic Director Kenny Perotti praised the group’s performance the following day. “Last night, the LGHS marching band brought the noise, enthusiasm, school spirit, and energy to our stadium,” he wrote in an email to staff. “They were awesome, and they made the entire game-night atmosphere better.” The group now looks ahead to the competitions and shows still to come this season. As the season continues, Agarwal is especially looking forward to competing against other schools and building connections beyond LGHS. “Hopefully we’re gonna interact more with other schools,” she remarked. “So it’ll be more of a community experience rather than just our school.” As Perotti put it, “A new era of the LGHS Marching Band is underway, and it is going to be a lot of fun to watch.”