By Kristen Applebaum, Staff Writer
The chatter of nearly 70,000 adoring fans can be heard as some 2,000 high school band members take the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This is is all so much more than a regular high school football game halftime performances.
On Jan. 1, 2018, members of the Nighthawk marching band will be performing in front of thousands of football fans at the Outback Bowl. The bowl will pit Michigan against South Carolina. The nationally televised game on ESPN2 will kick off at noon, and bowl officials announced that the halftime show will be streamed live on the Outback Bowl’s Facebook page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/TheOutbackBowl/
Senior Brooke Kelly is one of three drum majors in the Nighthawk band. This is her second year leading the band as a drum major and she will get the opportunity to conduct with other high school drum majors at the Outback Bowl. Marching alongside the Nighthawks will be as many as 25 to 30 other bands, plus a huge collection of cheerleaders, all from across the U.S.
“Since I’m a drum major, I felt like it would be really good for me to go and experience that with the rest of the band, and I’ll get some professional experience in front of a lot of other bands,” Kelly said.
Kelly and junior Zane Fish will both be front and center on New Year’s Day while their classmates and hundreds of others march onto the field in formation and play a variety of fun songs. The high school band will perform after South Carolina and Michigan’s bands.
“Drum majors will also be doing different things like conducting and learning basic leadership skills for band,” Fish said. “We’ll be playing some music as well as gathering together with students from other bands across the country and combining ourselves into one massive super band.”
Since not all the band members were able to attend the trip , band director Bob Ebert prepared the students by reviewing the halftime show music with them during Empower Time. FFHS has sent 25 students on the trip, with Manteo adding 16 band members. Cape Hatteras also sent a busload of students.
“I just thought it’d be something nice to do for the kids, because unless you go to a big school or Division I college, you’re not gonna get a chance like this again,” Ebert said.
The band traveled overnight to Florida by bus on Dec. 28 and will return home on Jan. 2 on an over-night drive immediately after the bowl game ends. Over the course of five days, there are only two rehearsals scheduled involving all of the high school band members participating in the halftime show.
When they’re not practicing for the big game, the band members had the chance to spend time at the Florida Aquarium, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Universal Orlando.
Ebert is hoping to provide his students with a positive experience by giving them an opportunity to travel and to showcase their skills. For many members, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform in front of a large crowd.
“I think they’re really going to have a better appreciation for it after we get back. I mean, we’re gonna be playing in front of about 70,000 people live,” Ebert said. “For pretty much everyone in this band, that will be the largest audience they ever play for.”
To enjoy a collection of photos from the practice, visit the FFHS Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/firstflighthighschool/
Junior Kristen Applebaum can be reached at [email protected].
