Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 29, the Wakefield band will perform for the school at the Homecoming football game. The band cultivates a nostalgic feeling when the halftime show begins and the audience can hear all the football fight song classics that even grandparents know. Wakefield’s band students are working hard to ensure this feeling is felt throughout the entire stadium.
However, this year Homecoming has come early, leaving the band with less time to prepare for the big game. Mercer Chamblee, a senior, feels the time crunch is stressful despite having served as an active member of the band for several years.
“[We’ve had] lots of rehearsals and practices. It’s terrifying…performing at football games is scarier to me than performing at competitions,” Mercer said.
Another student in the band, sophomore Jesse Vogel, has a great affinity for music. As with all art, music can inspire a change in people’s emotions.
“Music affects everyone’s emotions and it can be a positive or negative effect, but with Homecoming, it could definitely bring a positive effect,” Vogel said.
Even with the march to Homecoming being turned into a run, the band is still an integral part of the overall experience of the big game. The music they provide helps morale and keeps the spirits of the football team up.
Junior Ben Carter enjoys his involvement with the music at Homecoming.
“It makes [Homecoming] a whole new experience when we’re playing the pep tunes,” Carter said.
Though it has been difficult for the band students to get ready for Homecoming, Bobby McFarland, the band director, isn’t sweating the fast-approaching Homecoming date.
“It’s not an issue,” McFarland said. “Once you’ve done this long enough, it just becomes the norm. But, it’s exciting to see kids engage in the school culture.”
Halftime performances and musical accompaniment are very important parts of the big Homecoming game. Traditionalism is a very important part of Homecoming, due to the feeling of sentimentality that it can bring to people of all ages.
However, homecoming is always going to be special for everyone no matter whether it is someone’s first or last time at the game, the memories of what happened will always be held dear. Memories that without the work and dedication of everyone involved, would not feel as special.
“[The performance] means everything. It’s the culmination of all their work,” McFarland said. “Part of what we do is for our audience and for their entertainment purposes. So, when the kids are putting in all this work for hours or months and for years really, it feels really good to get appreciation for what they’ve done.”
