Under the Friday Night Lights, the chilly autumn air and stress of a full school week melt under the warmth and cheer of an entire school, united by a single team. There’s no better way to end the week – surrounded by friends, an ever-spirited student section, exciting cheerleaders, and of course, the music and magic of the marching band.
Football throughout history has become an integral part of American high school spirit and identity, continuing to be the most popular sports and drawing an audience of enthusiastic spectators each Friday of the fall season. Historically acting as a supporting character to the football team, high school marching bands have since developed an identity of their own. At Centennial, the marching band is more than a mere accessory or morale booster. Here, as director Mr. David Matchim puts it, “Friday Night Lights is about football and marching band, and not football with marching band.”
The craft of a high-quality performance and successful marching band season is a multi-month process, starting as early as the end of the prior school year. Centennial’s marching Eagles receive their music and are tested on their preparation and memorization, which precedes a rigorous “band camp” leading up to the fall season. Before the school year begins, Centennial’s marching band spends eight hours a day, five days a week, for two weeks in the summer heat. Beginning from scratch with painted yard lines and hash marks in Centennial’s parking lot, the band faces a large task: coordinating a cohesive halftime show that requires both physical endurance and mental dexterity. At its core, the over 80-hour marching band production works to demonstrate support for the football team, continuing a collaborative relationship in sharing the Friday night field. Considering how largely integrated the two programs are, much has been left up in the air for the marching band amid an unpredictable football season. Following the team’s forfeit of their game against Atholton on October 4th, a new question has arisen: what does the future hold for the marching Eagles?
The cancellation of the October 4th game jeopardized the Marching Eagles’ initial plans for their “Future Eagles Night,” an outreach event that extends the invitation to perform in the stands to CHS feeder schools. The night is traditionally an opportunity for elementary and middle school band students to watch the football game in the stands and play pep tunes alongside the band. The football team’s forfeit of the game forced the marching band to pivot with over 90 Future Eagles registered for the event, causing “initially a little bit of anxiety” in adjusting the night’s plan, as director David Matchim explained. Along with drum majors Evan Scott, Sean Yu, and James Kuo, Matchim ultimately decided to proceed with the event and devote it exclusively to marching. Improvising with little guidance from precedent on how the night would look, the Marching Eagles reinvented a simple “pep tunes in the stands” experience into a behind-the-scenes event.
After a customary pre-game routine of playing the National Anthem and the Fight Song, quick introductions and greetings were exchanged between the current and Future Eagles. Students then separated based on instrumentation, with each instrument section taking a part of the stadium field. The Marching Eagles led short lessons in the basics of marching followed by an opportunity for the Future Eagles to learn and play the iconic Fight Song alongside the current marchers. Next, each marcher was followed by a small group of Future Eagles in a go-pro experience of sorts, as they marched through the third movement of the halftime show, leading the future marchers through the exact steps of the performance. Then, the Future Eagles took seats in the stands as the band took their places for a final performance of the halftime show.
The spirit of the Future Eagles night confirmed that Centennial’s band and performing arts community is very much alive and relentless despite the setbacks. The Future Eagles left the event excited and energized, inspired to pursue the marching experience. As for the current Marching Eagles, the event highlighted the continuous appreciation and support from the feeder schools and larger community.
As Matchim explained, “People in the community still know about the joys of the students in the program and the success of the program. There’s been a lot of exposure and I think people hear about the community and want to be a part of it.”
Even more so, the event was a testament to the importance of their craft. Supported by a culture of commitment to the performing arts, the band understood that the impact of their performances expand further than a mere halftime show. In the engaged and spirited faces of the nearly 90 Future Eagles, their parents, and other community members, the program demonstrated their ability to foster an environment of collaboration, spirit, an unresting passion toward improvement, and ultimately bring together a community of all different people behind a single musical performance.
Regarding feelings about the football season, Matchim remained firm in his position of unwavering support for the football team regardless of the situation.
“I say don’t turn your back to the football team when you’re in the stands; you’re always facing forward… Even when it’s a tough game and the clock’s running, the marching band stays until the very end, even if we’re the only people left in the stands.”
The Marching Eagles continue to uphold their promises to support the football team and deliver high-quality performances, unifying an entire community through spirit and celebration. The band shows no signs of slowing down, and in fact, the exact opposite.
Senior drum major Evan Scott said, “The marching band will continue to have spirit regardless of the situation.”
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