Friday nights at Clear Springs are all about football games, and while students full of school spirit pump up the football players, other programs that put a lot of work into their performances can be overlooked. One program being band, spreading pep from the stands and entertaining the audience during halftime. 

So how much work goes into creating such a mesmerizing show? 

We hear on the announcements every morning that the band utilizes the back parking lot to practice their show from the end of school to late in the evening. To build a marching show, they must learn drill; the spots on the field and pathways they march to make the shapes and go set to set reading one coordinate after another.  

But technique plays a particularly important role when it comes to cleanliness. Everyone must look exactly the same from posture to foot timing to the amount of bend in the knee, and to have all of this prepared by the first game, they have to start practicing during summer break.  

“We start before school starts and before football starts practicing. Now we have practices Tuesday through Friday and sometimes on Saturday,” flute player Abigail Horn (10) said. “And on top of full band practices, we’re expected to work on our music individually at home and prepare at a high level.” 

It’s not just the shapes that bring their performance together, but the music. It takes a lot of coordination to line up steps with music and know where to land after marching the set, while playing said music memorized with the correct notes, rhythms and style. 

But the band members enjoy what they do. From dancing and singing with their friends in the stands to watching and supporting the football team, they’re always having a good time. Megan Mooty (10) and Faith Yates (10) explained how football games are beneficial for the team, audience, and band program.  

“Without us it would be a lot harder for people’s morale to stay up just because the band brings the hype” (Mooty).  

“And we use football games as practice to get comfortable with our show while also providing entertainment for the audience” (Yates). 

The football players work hard, but so do the band. Acknowledge their effort and wish them luck at future games and competitions!