As most of Berkley High School has probably seen, the marching band performs at every football game during half time. I absolutely love watching the band play familiar songs and perform intricate choreography across the large span of Hurley Field. I am especially looking forward to their show at the upcoming homecoming game. But something I, and maybe others, have always wondered about is the work behind our favorite halftime performance. So, after interviewing some members, I present to you a behind the scenes look of the Berkley High School marching band.
Typically at homecoming, the marching band performs “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as well as their regular halftime show for that year. This year it consists of songs by Aretha Franklin (their theme of song choices for this year). I talked to junior Harper Stacey, one of the band’s drum majors, to find out more about their practices. She explains that they “can usually put [a song] together in a day at band camp, after a whole day of learning it,” and a whole show takes around two weeks, which consists of one week Monday through Friday rehearsals from 8 to 12, then the second week Monday through Friday from 9 to 7. Stacey also explains that “this is the first year we have had everything done at band camp. Band camp is an essential part of being a member of the marching band. “Band camp is all about putting together music and drill,” explains Stacey, “a lot of our day is based on music, where people are broken up into sectionals and they’re working on their music with their sections. Then, the second part of the day is learning the drill for the show. So they work through set pieces or sets and then those are put together. Then, we combine everything into one and we go set by set and get super specific and pinpoint certain parts of the music we need to focus on.”
Besides just getting the shows down, band camp is also necessary for meeting and connecting with fellow band members. They often do fun activities after a long day of practice, like ice cream socials, bowling, and pool parties. They also have fun traditions within the camp like paper plate awards. Stacey believes there is more to band camp than just learning the music. “There is a lot if things that factor into how important it is to be [at band camp] because it creates family,” she adds, “if you’re not at band camp you’re not going to know anybody in band,” and you won’t know anything when you come in to class at the start.
Aside from band camp, the marching band also practices every day in class as well as a weekly practice outside of school at Hurley Field from 7 to 9. This practice varies depending on the week. During class, they go out to the trash lot and rehearse for about 45 minutes. During this time they cover anything they didn’t get to on their last rehearsal. On game days, they cover most of the show and “if it’s not a game day easier than a drill day, and we’re just running through stuff we need to work on.”
Obviously, being a part of the marching band is a lot of work. As a drum major, Stacey has a more higher up position of being a leader. She feels as though it is her responsibility to keep herself and others in line and on track when performing music. She also feels like she has pressure of performing well because “if I’m up on the podium and I screw up the whole band is not going to perform well.” Also, it is a huge commitment as a drum major as well as a normal band member because you have to show up to everything like football games and practices.
But even with these challenges, being a part of the marching band is a fun experience. Junior Ann Redman, a trumpet player in the marching band, says “I love all of my friends in the marching band and the music we get to make.” Stacey adds to this saying that she likes the football games and the family that the band creates because of the close community she gets to be a part of. Also, especially for freshmen you get to start high school already knowing around 60 people.
So, now that we know more about the marching band, we can be even more excited to see them perform at the upcoming football games. Make sure to catch the amazing marching band at least once this school year to see all of the hard work they have put into their shows.