Behind the Scenes: BGHS Band

By Owen Somerville

The BGHS band most prominently represents BG “Purple Spirit” through its public performances. It has continuously served as a pep band for football and basketball games, as well as having marched in parades, such as the recent Christmas Parade. Band students are proud to support their peer athletes at sports events, and entertain audiences with the halftime show at football games. However, there are various facets of the band program that go unrecognized by many.

Three weeks before the majority of BGHS students returned to school in early August, the band program held its annual band camp. The camp consisted of two weeks of indoor and outdoor training for the upcoming pep band season. A total of 110 band students learned the basics of marching, how to march with an instrument, and  an entire halftime show for the upcoming football games. They endured the fluctuating temperatures of summer, and learned to play their instruments while marching. 

Additionally, students who were not yet ready for the school season found the band camp schedule to be a rude awakening. 

BGHS senior and principal trombonist, Charlie Smith stated, “some struggles that we all went through included getting back into the mindset of school before the year even started.” Students found themselves needing to wake up earlier, go to sleep sooner, and stay focused during rehearsals.

The daily band camp schedule included morning exercise, indoor and outdoor sessions, and a snack break, supplied by parent volunteers. The breaks allowed students to regain their composure, and the food provided them energy to get back to marching.

Charlie commented, “It was nice of the Band Boosters, Ms. S[ivaainkaran], and Mrs. Shores to make sure that we had snack breaks every day, and that we would always come stocked with water. That was a big plus.” Combined participation from the Band Boosters and the involved parents allowed for a productive band camp experience.

The efforts contributed by the band resulted in a successful first halftime performance, and served as a precedent for their future halftime shows.

Even though the final halftime performance took place during the Halloween game on October 27th, the band continued to hone their skills to represent Bowling Green from off the field. The band rehearsed “pep tunes” during the 55 minutes allotted in class each school day, and continued to support their peers from the sidelines at each playoff game throughout the season.

On December 2, select members of the band traveled to Lexington for Bowling Green’s state match-up against Cooper High School, and supported the Purples to their victory. They persevered through the worsening weather, and played with conviction despite the oncoming storm.

However, the weather at the game limited the ability of the band to play. Woodwind instruments such as the clarinet, saxophone, and flute, are not able to withstand rain without damage. Only brass instruments like the trumpet, trombone, mellophone, and sousaphone (tuba) were able to resist the weather.

Charlie noted that, “The woodwinds couldn’t even play. The only one that could was Brennan Miller with his piccolo. That was literally it.” Despite the weather, the band students were still able to enjoy the game and support the Purples.

Earlier that same day, the entire band program participated in the Christmas Parade through downtown Bowling Green. For an hour, they marched through the streets of Bowling Green, and played an arrangement of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” as well as the “Street Beat” drum cadence. 

Preparation for the parade required band students to completely memorize their music, and maintain complete coordination with their peers. Band members learned essential details such as coordinated movements, consistent spacing between lines, and carrying a steady tempo during band camp. The band honed the skills over time to create the final product presented at the Christmas Parade.

Even though many would be satisfied with the honor of performing for the city of Bowling Green, band students aimed above and beyond the accomplishment. Outside of school hours, the musicians aiming to achieve a placement in the All-District and All-State bands attended specialized private lessons with qualified teachers. 

These lessons are provided to band students for free, and are funded by the School Board. Lessons are weekly, and there are a limited number of weeks before All-District or All-State auditions. Students are encouraged to rehearse their audition material outside of their scheduled lessons to make steady progress each week. This requires staying for additional time after school, or consistently practicing at home.

Over the last two years, record-breaking numbers of students have achieved placements in the All-District band. According to BGHS Band Director Anjali Sivaainkaran, “Since 2019, results have doubled at both [the junior and senior high schools].” Additionally, more students have entered into the final round of All-State auditions.

However, the future of the program (dubbed the “Private Lesson Academy”) is uncertain. The program has not received recent funding, and the decision to fund it or not is up to the School Board. The decision hinges on the effectiveness of the program, but Sivaainkaran argues that the program has not been given enough time to yield stronger results.

While the number of students who make it into the final round of All-State has increased, the number of students accepted into the band has not changed.

In explanation, Sivaainkaran states, “...the students who started the private lessons in 7th grade are now freshmen, so we won’t know the true change in All-State numbers until a couple of years pass. Once the first-year lesson kids become upperclassmen and are able to focus on the 11/12 music, we will know [the effectiveness of the program] for sure.”

Essentially, if the program maintains funding for two more years, the students who have taken private lessons since day one will be eligible for the upperclassman-exclusive All-State band, and the results of the Private Lesson Academy will speak for themselves.

On top of pep band, All-District, and All-State practice, the band began its preparations for the concert season on October 30. From that point in time to the final football game of the season, the band program has been balancing the content of its rehearsals. Practicing pep band music alongside concert-oriented music allowed students to experience variety in the music that they play, while preparing them for upcoming performances.

Even though the band is keeping up with the program, the band directors feel they are stretched for time daily. Band class takes place during the sixth period, so it is five minutes shorter than the other classes. On top of that, the sheer number of students in band requires the five to ten minutes after the bell rings to set up and prepare for the class. At that point, there are 45-50 minutes to rehearse music. This is not a lot of leeway, considering that the band is working on multiple pieces at any given time.

Anjali Sivaainkaran elaborates on the difficulties of time limitations in the band program, saying, “...with a larger band and classroom management, it is difficult to spend time on a section because people lose focus. Longer rehearsals would mean that we could have an opportunity to dive deeper [into the subject matter].”

During the marching season, the band was also under time constraints. Moving an estimated 110 students from the band room onto the field, and having everyone ready to play, takes anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Subtracting another 5 minutes to allow students to return to the band room before the bell rang resulted in a total of around 30 minutes of rehearsal time.

Generally, competitive marching bands practice for a minimum of five hours during weekdays after school. Their shows have intricate visuals, but competitive marching bands play the same difficulty of music as the BGHS marching band. However, these competitive marching bands perform the same show the entire season, while the BGHS band performs different shows during the fall semester. The band managing to cycle shows with its short rehearsals is particularly impressive, and demonstrates the focus and mental fortitude of the band students.

With the current schedule of Early Release Wednesdays (ERWs), Purple Days (the days without the sixth period band class) leave students without a day of in-class rehearsal. After students return the next day, they have to catch up to where they left off on Tuesday.

Before the change to the schedule of ERWs, the band program held sectional rehearsals on Wednesdays. WKU professors held sectionals, and first-chair students held sectionals as well. This regular check-in allowed students to improve their own playing, and learn techniques to implement in full rehearsals.

However, the recent ERW schedule change led to sectionals being held every three weeks, which was not consistent enough to be of help to the students, causing the cancellation of sectional rehearsals.

Despite the challenges faced by the band, the students work hard every day. Each student is motivated by different factors, and have different reasons they joined the band. Perhaps playing the instrument is a fun hobby, or maybe the class is appealing due to its participation-based grading system. Musicians who plan to extend their band experience into college are especially attentive during class, and prepare themselves for their musical post-high school endeavors on a daily basis.

While the BGHS band has its own struggles behind the scenes, the band students work with the band directors, Anjali Sivaainkaran, Christi Shores, and Lucas Allen, to showcase their talent at school events. Students can watch the band play at football games, upcoming basketball games, pep rallies, and concerts. On and off the stage, the band program will continue to foster the love of music in its students, and instill discipline that will last a lifetime.