“Marching at the football game

Gives me a sense of a unique fame

Peeking for the drummajors beat

Keeps us bound like an elite

Increasing the hours of our drill

Does not make us yearn to thrill

Spending time with the band

Makes the hot days seem grand.”- Marching band by Brie Carter

“ What is band?”, that is the first question I asked when I sat down to interview Mrs. Maher.  Mrs. Maher’s eyes opened as big as a coconut, “ What is band!!!???, don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it!”. She leaned back in her chair while band music was playing in the background. Readers, go quickly grab a drink and find a comfy place to sit, cause Mrs. Maher is about to march us into the world of our McCullough Band!

So, back to my surprising question, what is band in McCullough? Band is a really great organization in McC that consists of about 320 students. They play instruments like flutes, trombones, clarinets, and percussion and they work together to make music. Band music is more modern and cheerful, bursting with energy because of the type of instruments they’re using. Clarinets naturally have a sharp and cheerful sound while drums give us a beat in our lives. When all these instruments clash together they make a loud but beautiful sound that encourages students. Remember that band has 320 students? Band is actually not that big, after trying out for band, students will be placed into groups by ability. There are a total of six levels of band, the highest being CB1 and the lowest being CB6. Band also consists of 2 percussion classes so that makes up 8 groups total in band! “ With band, we try to make it comfortable for students and make them feel at home. We want to make them feel like family so we can work together and make music!” said Mrs. Maher. Mrs. Maher is the current director of the band, with 21 years of experience as a McCullough staff member. Within those 21 years, she told me that she loved teaching bands. “ I actually played the French Horn! And… a bit of trumpet too!” she remarked during her interview. Mrs. Maher said that she enjoyed playing the French horn during Easter and Christmas, which she particularly enjoyed. 

“Here in McCullough, band gives students an opportunity to try new things and make new friends, we are trying to make students feel like they’re a family in a band!”, said Mrs. Maher. I agree with Mrs. Maher, band is a cooperative form of fine arts, everyone will have to work together so they can play the encouraging Highlander music. When you are in a big community, it’s easier to find friends and find similar interests, you can do things together, practice together, you can also develop friendships or relationships! Students will be taught by the teachers themselves, but they can choose to take private lessons if they pay an extra fee. The energy that the band brought to McCullough is essential to us because this loud cheerful music makes us a lot more jolly, it also tells us to never give up. “ It certainly cheers me up, I love to see my students perform and the music they play cheers me up!”, said Mrs. Maher.

Mrs. Maher also said that in order to master an instrument you have to devote your time for band practice, band is not a joke, schools compete against each other. Even if the band is fun, when it’s time to be serious, you have to be serious. If you can prioritize your time for practice and don’t goof around, BOOM, you’ll be in. That’s what Mrs.Maher wants from band students: Always follow the rules.

Band is a widely popular elective in McCullough, it promotes musical skills and teamwork, which is very important to us in the future. In band students work together to make music, but in the future they might need to work with other people, being in a band can positively affect one’s future. As what Mrs. Maher said she wants students to be happy while playing music but also follow the rules! Can you do that, if yes, feel free to sign up next year and “march” into the band hall with a blaze of confidence.

“ Try band, try band, you’ll never know it until you try it, you won’t know that you like it or not until you walk into this classroom. Try band!”- Andrea Maher, McCullough Band Director.