On Friday the middle school bands from Heath, Lone Oak, and Reidland all joined MMB, McCracken Marching Band, for pre-game and during the game. The middle school students got to opportunity to experience what it would be like to be in the marching band.
Having these student nights encourages middle schoolers to join in on a certain activity in high school. If these middle schoolers had a blast, they will be more likely to join MMB in the future, once they enter high school. While the marching band does have a few middle schoolers in the band, it is very few.
When asked the question did she enjoy playing along with other middle school friends, Carley Milam, a 7th grader at Reidland Middle School and a trumpet in MMB, stated, “Yes, it was very fun.”
Together the middle school and high school bands played the National Anthem and a few pep-band songs. The middle schoolers also got to sit on the field while the high schoolers performed their half-time show. This allowed the middle schoolers to get an idea of what they may be doing in the future if they decide to participate in marching band.
The middle schoolers had received the music before working on, it to be able to play along with the high schoolers. Milam also describes, when asked how she feels playing along with the high schoolers,
“I feel great because I feel like I’m not bad at my instrument.”
Many of the high schoolers also enjoy getting to play with the middle schoolers, the high schoolers in the band get to see and engage with the middle schoolers to learn who might be in the marching band next year. This is a good thing for the high schoolers and the middle schoolers, as in marching band they often do sectionals, and this would give them a chance to get to know each other and be more comfortable when it comes to working in sectionals. Damaris Pastor, an alto saxophone player in MMB and a freshman at MCHS, explains,
“I feel like they are good people to be with, and their great musicians too.”
