The Titan Marching Band here at Hidden Valley High School has come up with countless plans for the coming school year that will be sure to help us blow rivals away during games and on the stage. If you’ve been to a Hidden Valley High School football game, you’ve probably noticed the large group of musically inclined students that we call the Titan Marching Band. From the plumes on top of their hats to their distinctive blue uniforms, the marching band is an iconic Hidden Valley staple at football games.   

Last year, the marching band did not get many opportunities to play– Covid-19 made sure of that. But this year they are expected to get as much time on the field and in the stands as possible. The Titan’s Marching Band’s much-anticipated first halftime show was performed on September 10th. The reason behind this? It marked our first home football game at Bogle, the field shared between Hidden Valley and Cave Spring High Schools. Spectators were amazed! Members of the band recall the rush of their first performance since the 2019-2020 school year fondly. Saxophone player Meghan Bagby (10) relayed, “I was really excited for our first home game! But I was so nervous when we were on the field.”   

People who play instruments in the band are not the only ones who partake in the excitement. Band managers are the people who run the operations behind the scenes. According to band manager Leilani Keele (10), “We [the band managers] are very busy during the beginning, middle, and end of the games. At the school, we load up the truck to go Bogle, we unload it when we get to Bogle, we move the instruments for the halftime show, and we repeat the first process when the game is over.” Without a need for people in these positions last year, many people quit being band managers or graduated from the high school. As a result, the band has acquired many new managers who will help them throughout the season.   

The Titan Marching Band’s song list directly correlates with the yearly band theme, chosen by the rising seniors the year before. This year’s theme is “A New Day”, with a compilation of a wide variety of songs. Meghan Bagby explained, “We play ‘House of the Rising Sun’ first, like the Sun is rising; then we play ‘Blinging Lights’, like the Sun is getting higher; after that we play ‘I See the Light’, from Tangled; we play ‘Light ‘Em Up’ or ‘My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark’, like it’s getting darker; and then ‘Dream On’.” As she described, the song list was compiled to show the stages of a day.  

After this past year of lifeless performances and small crowds, the marching band is ready to debut their new theme and come back stronger than before. After seeing the band play, you can tell that they are channeling their new theme to the fullest, declaring through their music, “It is a new day.” To see more of our beloved band this coming season, make sure to come out to a Hidden Valley football game to watch them in action.