HEHS Band’s “Sounds of the Stadium” Concert: from bleachers to center stage

Our very own HEHS Band is known for performing at bleachers, both in the gym and at Garber Stadium, and I got to witness their performance up close during their concert.

138 HEHS Band members, along with 28 color guard members, performed on October 17, 2018 in the main gymnasium of HEHS.

Drum Majors Kaitlyn Jedrzejowski, Andrew Luzwick, and Alex Hwang welcomed in the performers by giving a small introduction while Drumline played their lively cadence as band walked into formation.

“It’s a more formal way to present to everyone aside from the field,” Hwang said.

“Marching band has been a part of us for the last 4 years. Leaders and prideful musicians… left a mark on band,” Senior Jedrzejowski added.

Selected students talked about what band is about: the environment, memories, and halftime show performances.

“Drumline allows for people to get to know each other between our rehearsal jokes, Steak-and-Shake visits, and our countless vine references. They all serve the purpose of helping us grow together as a section,” said Nathan Eaton, senior tenor player.

Senior Marching Hawks was also given the chance to lead the band to 25 or 6 to 4 in front of the crowd, following the Fight Song in which their family got the chance to stand alongside them.

Before band played their last song, Jerry Lowrey and Hannah Drake acknowledged some loyal family members and some thoughts about band that they love.

“They’ve allowed love to melt into their hearts. They develop friendships and bonds and reach out to the community. I always feel that in the students,”said Lowrey.

“We really feed off of that energy from our audience. Having that support from the community means the world to us,” Drake added.

Fall Guard Captains also played a role of adding wondrous color flags, rifles, and sabres to the band’s performance.

We’ve witnessed Band play their hearts out during every assembly and halftime show, so what’s different with their performance during the concert? It was the progress and perspective.

Progress: from the first day they played for the school up to the concert. Band sacrificed multiple days to perfect their craft and shared their creativity to present their “Music of Michael Jackson” theme.

“They have persevered through a lot of suboptimal conditions over the course of the season, and many have also started taking private lessons and taking their commitment to band seriously. It’s exciting to see that spark develop,” Drake said.

I saw them perform real close (and no, not the sit-on-the-first-row-bleacher close). It was a kind of “real close” where everyone was hushed.

The audience was paying attention, and they awed with respect to the performers. Only to hear the notes joined together to create wondrous snippets of musical pieces.

Band and Color Guards were the main focus, and they narrated their story through the notes. Overall, 50 minutes weren’t enough to hear the band story, and it certainly isn’t the end of their season.