In his 10th year as the director of the Marching Rebels, Dan Barnhill is well familiar with the work it takes to put a halftime show together.
A good show is made in the summer, with refinements integrated in the fall Barnhill says.
This takes lots of practice, over the course of many months.
All of this time spent together over the season has made the Marching Rebels a tight knit group. They even call themselves the “band family.”
“I love the people that are involved,” junior Arlo Miller said, “I really like the fact that everyone comes together from different places and different interests to work towards a common goal, which has helped me create lots of strong friendships.”
Senior Bhreia Harmon echoed that appreciation for connection.
“I had come in from moving and it was nice to come into a group and have some pre-established friendships before school started,” Harmon said.
Trust is also a big factor within this group.
Senior Nick Hightchew doubles up on the fall obligations, as he is also on the football team.
Sometimes he has to miss because of his football responsibilities, but he’s able to rely on his fellow band members to step up during those times.
Helping others through mishaps is a normal part of the job for students in marching band.
“When someone makes a mistake we have a great leadership team that helps that person or the group whether it’s a visual or movement to help sort it out,” Barnhill said.
The group often comes together to better the band as a whole.
This closeness helps to make the band feel like a community. The environment is already spirited, but the act of creating music links the members together through joint appreciation.
“I love making an event or community gathering a lot more of a lively place,” Griess said. “I think the world without music is a much more quiet place, and I love bringing that quality in.”
However, preparing to bring music into a football game takes loads of dedication.
It starts with band camp: a two week period in the heat of the summer to get the marching band ready to perform by the first game of the season. The first week is dedicated to music familiarity, and the second week is for mastering the show itself.
Within that first week, new students are given the opportunity to be introduced to the act of marching, and become proficient in that act of the performance.
“It’s where we learn everything we need to know for the halftime show,” Barnhill said.
But the prep doesn’t stop there.
Students continue to practice into the school year on Thursday nights for two and a half hours.
These practices start off with stretching to aid in the physical aspect of the sport, followed by “breathing gym” to get the lungs warm, and regular instrument warm ups to prepare for playing.
During practices it’s important that the band breaks into sections to work in their respective instrument groups. Following that, practice is dedicated to marching technique and the show.
“We get together to work on our halftime routine to better our visual representation and make it more musically sound,” senior Nick Hightchew said.
However, for drum majors, practice isn’t all about instruments, as they hold a point of leadership within the band.
Drum majors, also known as field commanders, help to run practice, conduct the band and keep tempo within the group during shows.
For senior drum major and flutist Grey Griess, it’s not only about working with the rest of the band to help coordinate placements and sound, but also pumping the group up for the show.
“A lot of it is encouraging kids to persevere when things get hard,” Griess said.
Griess also emphasizes principles that the band director strives to implement.
“I try to tell them what to do in regards to what would be in Barnhill’s best interest, and I try to lead by his example.”
All of this teamwork leads up to the big performances that raise school spirit and entertain the crowd during halftime. With that comes a combination of nerves and excitement.
Overtime, the Marching Rebels have found ways to combat anxious thoughts and push past them to have a confident march.
Hightchew likes to take a few deep breaths when he returns to the field and tries to clear his mind.
“I try to block everything else out to make it feel like no one else is there,” Hightchew said.
For him, this focus starts to feel like meditation and helps him get through to a water break.
Griess prefers to take an opposite approach and faces nervousness head on by thinking of the worst that could happen during the show and matching that up to possible outcomes. Knowing this helps keep him grounded while leading the band.
Junior Madelyn Furlong experienced lots of anxiety in her younger years, but now she walks into her performances ready to do her best.
All of this is facilitated by teacher and director, Barnhill. While he loves to see the evolution of the show, he’s there for his students.
“I’m here to support them,” Barnhill said.
His obligations to the marching band allow him to see the kids for more than just a class period, so he gets to know them on a more personal level through that time spent together.
The Friday night crowd only experiences a 10 minute show, but hours upon hours are devoted to making sure it’s as close to perfection as possible.
Compassion, strength, and a strong work ethic makes the Marching Rebels who they are: an asset to the livelihood and excitement that surround sports at Boone.
