A sea of 236 students in their trademark black and red Saratoga High marching band uniforms crouched behind the endzone of Los Angeles’s SoFi stadium on the evening of Nov. 4, waiting with bated breath for the results of their final competition of the year at the Western Band Association Regional Championships to be announced.
Students, staff and parents rejoiced when they learned they had placed second out of six Southern California-based schools in the highest 5A division and also received the award for best percussion, with a score of 81.425. The first place school, Upland High School, won by a mere 0.725 points.
The Marching Band and Color Guard (MBCG) traveled nearly 10 hours by bus down to SoFi stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams, from Nov. 3-5, missing two days of school. They stayed at the LAX Embassy Suites, and also spent time at The Grove shopping area in LA and Kettleman City.
Previously, at the Cupertino Tournament of Bands on Oct. 26, the group placed a disappointing last among four local schools in the same division. These results encouraged students to give one final effort to better their show, during the week-long rehearsals leading up to the final competition. That extra work paid off.
Senior drum major Nathan Lee recalled the moment they received their trophy at the awards show at SoFi stadium, saying: “After we got our trophy and joined the rest of the band, we passed it around to everyone. As much as people think drum majors are the head of the band, the award doesn’t really belong to us, it belongs to everyone else. Watching them hold the award and take in the amount of work that they put into the 8-minute show was definitely one of my favorite moments of the season.”
The band had not had a win of this magnitude since fall of 2021, when they won first place at the Napa Valley Band Reserve with their show “Be Anything, Anywhere, Anyone.”
Percussion director Sean Clark attributed the success to the connection students felt to the show, both due to its relatable theme of “The Show Must Go On” and the high energy present throughout the music. The show draws inspiration from musical royalty of the 1970s, with hits like “We Will Rock You,” by Queen featured prominently.
“Having a show that the kids connect to [and] feel genuinely interested in helped fire up the students,” Clark said. “I think they really enjoyed the show, and it felt like a part of them instead of [something] they had to do.”
Though members worked tirelessly to perfect their show, rehearsing nearly 12 hours every week starting in August, their success would not have been possible without the unyielding support of parent volunteers, said junior drum major Matthew Liu. From preparing food to driving the trucks the 42 parents worked behind the scenes to give students the best experience possible throughout the season.
Following the marching season, students will begin working on concert band repertoire for the rest of the school year, in preparation for the Winter Concert Series. Additionally, the percussion studio is busy preparing to perform at the 78th annual Midwest Clinic, a prestigious music conference held in Chicago from Dec. 18-21.
The competition was bittersweet for the 38 seniors in the group, as it marked the end of their high school marching band careers. As the first class to have a full, 4-year experience in the performing art post-pandemic, they were also the first grade to take the in-person marching band PE class taught by Clark.
“The senior class is special because I’ve been able to [see them] really open up as people,” Clark said. “They are so passionate about what they do, and they’re so unapologetic about expressing their love for it. They’re a group of people that aren’t afraid to let the world know how they’re feeling.”
Despite the major time commitment being in band and color guard entails, senior drum major Aiden Chen said that he “wouldn’t trade it for anything,” and that band teaches students valuable life lessons they would not be able to gain through any other experience.
Lee thinks there is no other activity on campus where this many people spend so much time perfecting something as seemingly simple as an 8-minute show. To him, marching band creates a unique community of people who are all working together for one team goal.
Additionally, Chen, a star baseball pitcher who is already committed to playing at Claremont McKenna, said that for most members, band is only one of numerous commitments. Students in band are achieving at high levels in different fields across campus, yet they dedicate hundreds of hours each year to creating the best show that they can, simply because of their love for the activity.
“Through band, I learned to show appreciation and gratitude because the effects can be huge. A parent came up to [Nathan and I] earlier and thanked us for serving as great role models for their son,” Chen said. “If that conversation didn’t happen, then I would have had no idea that they thought that. So, I’ve also tried to [show] more appreciation this year. Giving people positive feedback when I think they did something really well and seeing their faces light up as a result just means a lot.”