Big Apple of their eye : FHS band gears up for season that includes NYC trip
Posted on Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Fayetteville High School Marching Band began its summer rehearsals this week to learn the steps for its new marching routines.
The theme for this marching season is "I'm in a New York State of Mind," chosen in part because of the band's upcoming trip to perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
The routine opens with "New York State of Mind," then leads into some wellknown Broadway songs, band Director Barry Harper said. The concluding song for the routine is the Billy Joel song "Pressure."
The parade route is more than two miles, Harper said.
"The big performance is at the end," he added.
The marching routine, which will be performed during halftime at football games, begins with one performer who is alone and then is joined by the other members. Harper said the solo performer is intended to represent a street musician.
The band began Friday morning at Harmon Field marching without their instruments, but the members later added their instruments to practice marching and playing simultaneously. Harper and the assistant band directors used microphones and loudspeakers to give directions.
"It's a loft of details, I know, but we need to get this ironed out," Assistant Director Brett Lawson said.
To help students learn their marching positions, the instructors put poker chips on the field to mark their places.
"It seems like it helps," drum major James Glenn said.
There are 211 band students this year, making the band one of the largest the school has ever had. This includes more than 100 sophomores who moved up from Fayetteville's two junior highs.
Student backpacks and water bottles were scattered along the west sideline and south of the end zone along the field. Students were encouraged to drink water during breaks.
Heavy rain hampered practice Thursday, but Friday featured a full morning practice by the band.
"It's hard work, but it's fun," band student Augustus Starr said.
"It's really exciting," drum major Joseph Rulli said. "It's really special to be part of a musical group that's so good."
The band is holding several morning and evening practices in preparation for the football season. This includes a two-hour evening practice on Tuesdays once school starts, and band is the first class at school in the morning, drum major Grace Warren said.
"We have to be here earlier than anyone else," she said.
Rulli said he and the other students are looking forward to the Macy's trip. All of the current band members were in junior high or middle school when the FHS band took its January 2006 trip to the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
Harper said all of the students raised more than half the money they need to make the trip, and more fundraisers are planned once the school year gets under way.
Band students need to raise $ 1, 250 each to cover their expenses.
According to the band's Web site, www. fayettevilleband. com, donations can be sent to Fayetteville Band Boosters, P. O. Box 9623, Fayetteville, AR 72703.
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