St. Vrain Band Night fosters camaraderie

Marching bands bring a contagiously high level of energy to football games, parades and other events. Whether the band is in the stands playing pep tunes, or on the field performing the halftime show, the spirit, energy, and musicianship is infectious.

However, a seven minute halftime show is the result of countless hours and dedication to perfect that performance.

Many of the high schools in the St. Vrain Valley School District consider themselves as "non-competitive" marching bands. However, every year the St. Vrain Band Night brings together bands across the district who often see each other as "competitors" but in reality, are colleagues.

This ticketed event will continue its long-standing tradition of comradery, showmanship, and musicality across SVVSD on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., hosted at Longmont High School's Everly-Montgomery Field.

While Owen Simon, sophomore and trombone section leader for the "Pride of Niwot" Marching Band at Niwot High School, has only participated at one previous band night as a ninth-grader in 2023, He has been attending the event since 2014. At that time, he was five years old and recalls the excitement and energy from those early events watching his older brother perform, fueling his excitement to one day join marching band. When asked what he was willing to divulge about Niwot's show this year, all he had to offer was, "See you at the movies!"

Booth Hayes, junior at Mead High School and drum major, teased that "the 'King of Pop' lives on" in their show. Hayes described how he "loves the support [all the marching bands] share for each other when we get together." He added, "That really is the beauty of this event, watching all the other bands support each other."

Supporting each other is without a doubt a huge aspect of this event, as Hayes recalled particularly enjoying Silver Creek's performance of Beatles songs during the 2023 St. Vrain Band Night.

SVVSD high schools participating include Erie, Frederick, Longmont, Lyons, Mead, Niwot, Silver Creek, and Skyline, although the nature of this event compared to regular competitions has also attracted participation from high schools such as Northridge and Roosevelt as well.

Wade Hendricks, Director of Band at NHS, credits the nature of the SVVSD event, and its dissimilarity to traditional Saturday competitions for the increased participation. "Band Night is such a positive, uplifting event," he said, and continues to describe how the bands "experience a packed stadium, giving standing ovations to every performer." Hendricks also credits having an event under the lights at Everly-Montgomery Field as adding a special feel to the event.

What adds to the uniqueness of St. Vrain Band Night is the showcase of the district's Unified Drumlines which is an ensemble composed of students with special needs, who are given the opportunity to perform in front of a stadium filled with strong supporters.

The evening is not finished after all schools have finished exhibiting their halftime performances, however. While each band receives feedback, there is no scoring ceremony at the end. Instead, a new tradition began a couple of years ago where all schools take the field to do a combined performance that is sure to get everyone singing along. New this year, there will also be a drone show to celebrate music, courtesy of the SVVSD Student Performance Drone Team.

Marching band students often equate themselves to being a family, and through this annual event it is easy to see how, even though some schools may be rivals in jest, they are all one big-extended band family. Another event that united the high school bands was the Boulder County Fair Parade back in August, when all the high school bands came together to march as one mega-band in the parade.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children six years and younger, senior citizens and eighth grade students with a valid school ID. Tickets can be purchased here.