The pandemic didn’t stop our band from performing, placing first, or finding ways to share the joy of music with our community and their families.

Band has persevered and played whenever possible, trying to make this year as normal as it can be. Senior Natalie Babines, who has been in band for 8 years and plays the tenor saxophone said, “[She’s] grateful for the hard work put in by many people to try and give [them] an awesome experience.”

This year, band has put in the best work possible, unable to do in-person competitions they have substituted with virtual, performing on the football field in uniforms that are brand new and sending in videos of the performances. With the maximum effort put in, they got 1st place and scored a 68 in their division with two schools competing for the ADLA contest. Natalie Babines added, “Being able to play almost normally again was very refreshing, motivating, and exciting.”

For friends and family or whoever wants to watch, the brass band members and alumni have been providing free concerts at the Oil Monument. Band has also performed at Cruise Night and Freshman Registration. 

At Senior Night, senior band members were honored, and they played a performance a total of 15 minutes that was live-streamed. The seniors spotlighted were walked out onto the field by two family members. Dominic Krier, one of our senior wildcat band members who plays the trumpet, starts out by saying, “The band’s performance at Senior Night was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had this year,” he continues with, “and I am amazed at how well it went despite the many limitations that we had.” In regards to Senior Night, Zane Bravo, another senior, told us, “Being able to play for the people we love made the night great.”

All in all, band has been proving they have what it takes to reach the stars and they surely are grateful. Krier confirmed this when he said, “I am grateful for all the parents and teachers that helped create such an impactful experience for the seniors this year,” along with Bravo, who said, “We have missed out on quite a bit, and I’m glad that we got to experience what we did.”