Band Biography

The Franklin High School Black Knight Marching Band

Known as the ‘Pride of Pennsylvania’, the Franklin High School Black Knight Marching Band is widely respected as one of the top ‘traditional show style dance bands’ in the country.

The Franklin High School Black Knight Marching Band has proudly represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 1998 National Independence Day Parade, the 2000 and 2003 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parades, all in Washington, D.C., the 2006 Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Parade in Winchester, Virginia, and the 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2022 National Memorial Day Parades in Washington, D.C.  In 2018, the band was chosen to be the lead unit going down Constitution Avenue.

The Black Knight Band was chosen to welcome President George W. Bush to Erie, Pennsylvania on his Victory 2000 tour.  The Band performed before an estimated crowd of ten thousand people at Erie International Airport and a national television audience broadcast on C-SPAN.

The Black Knight Band made their debut at Heinz Field for the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers on September 25th, 2005.  The band’s highly acclaimed performances on the field at pre-game and half-time, as well as outside the stadium on Art Rooney Avenue were viewed by the fourth largest crowd in Heinz Field history.  The band returned on December 29th, 2013 as the Steelers closed out their regular season schedule against their AFC North Division rival Cleveland Browns.  Performing for the third time in 10 years, the band was invited again to Heinz Field for the AFC Wild-Card Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on January 3rd, 2015.

From 1997 through 2000, the Black Knight Band performed pre-game shows on the field at Three Rivers Stadium for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The band was the last marching band to perform for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the close of their tenure in Three Rivers Stadium.

In 2009 the Black Knight Marching Band began a relationship with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.  Quickly becoming a fan favorite, the band has returned on an annual basis to entertain the best fans in hockey.

The Black Knight Marching Band has also had the opportunity to perform for regional college and semi-professional programs that include Allegheny and Grove City Colleges, Clarion University of Pennsylvania and the Erie BayHawks of the National Basketball Association’s Developmental League.

The Franklin High School Black Knight Marching Band is under the direction of Mr. Steve Johnston, assisted by Mrs. Christina Luxbacher and Miss Amanda Lewis, with Bandfront Advisors Mrs. Ashley Smith and Mrs. Lisa Umbenhauer.

The Franklin High School Black Knight Concert Band

The concert band of Franklin High School performs two concerts per year, one of mostly seasonal music in mid-December and a full concert of standard literature in early May.

In 2009, the band released a breakthrough historical recording of music from the Pennsylvania Oil Boom.  Re-discovered at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, all twelve pieces of original oil boom themed music were carefully arranged for modern concert band using period compositional and arranging techniques by the director, Mr. Steve Johnston. Selected tracks from the cd, Oil Fever!, Music of the Pennsylvania Oil Boom, have been used on the PBS documentary The Valley That Changed The World, a 2014 WTAE (Pittsburgh) documentary on the Marcellus Gas Industry in Western Pennsylvania, and several other documentaries and research projects.

Guest soloists have included respected Venango County musician Mr. John McConnell and international opera performer Mr. Samuel DePalma.

The Franklin Junior/Senior High School Jazz Ensemble Program

The Franklin Area School District boasts an extensive and well supported jazz program.  The "feeder system" begins with the Franklin Junior High Jazz Band.  Students in 7th and 8th grade who play alto/tenor/bari saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass/rhythm guitar and drum set are combined to be given the "big band" experience.  The group is fortunate to be able to meet weekly during the school day.  Using developmentally appropriate music, the students in the ensemble are taught the basic fundamentals of stylistic performance.

At the secondary level, Franklin High School is one of just a handful of schools across the Commonwealth that offer the jazz ensemble experience during the school day, for academic credit.  Students continue the developmental process in the Franklin High School Jazz Band. More in depth study of style and technique are stressed at the same time as the students are introduced to basic improvisation.  The Franklin High School Stage Band is the culminating experience for students in the jazz program.  A select ensemble by audition, the Stage Band performs regularly throughout the community.

Since 2019, the Franklin High School Jazz Program has partnered with the Franklin Blues and Barbeque Festival to develop a one-of-a-kind Artist In Residency Program.  The Blues and Barbeque Festival financially supports bringing in world class blues musicians to mentor and perform with both the junior and senior high school students.  Guest musicians have included guitarist Max Schang, Pittsburgh blues icon Miss Freddye and multiple Blues Award-winning saxophonist Vanessa Collier.

The Franklin Junior High School Instrumental Music Program

Franklin Junior High School is proud to support a separate 7th and 8th grade band program.  7th and 8th grade students that play band instruments meet up to five days per week during a regularly scheduled academic class period.  7th and 8th grade students that wish to participate in 7th and 8th grade chorus will have band and chorus on alternating days during the same class period.  It is very easy for our junior high school students to participate in both band and choir.

Franklin Junior High School continues with the pull-out lesson program that the students begin at the elementary level.  One time per week, students in both the 7th and 8th grade band program will receive a small group lesson to improve their musical skills and techniques.  These lessons are set up on a rotating basis so that the individual student is never pulled out of the same class period, on the same day of the week, two weeks in a row.  All students are expected to check with their teacher and make up any class work missed during their lesson time.

It is during the junior high school years that it is an opportune time for our junior high band students to "switch over" to secondary or "color" instruments. Instruments such as bass clarinet, tenor and baritone saxophone, French Horn, baritone horn and tuba are provided by the school district at no additional cost to the student. These "secondary" instruments are very important to filling out the many tone colors of our bands, and the seventh and eighth grade years provide the perfect opportunity for our students to master the skills necessary on those instruments.

If a student did not start a musical instrument during their elementary years, but wishes to begin when they are in seventh or eighth grade, they are encouraged to see me so that we can get them started as soon as possible.  It is also the perfect opportunity for a student who started an instrument at the elementary level, but did not continue at that stage, to get back into the instrumental music program. Over the years, we have had many students begin to play an instrument in seventh or eighth grade, and be very successful.