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This school year has seen a variety of changes at NS, and one of the most impactful is the cancelation of the marching band program.
For the past several years the NS marching band has marched in parades, performed at football games, and competed at several competitions. This year however, none of that was able to happen due to the program’s abrupt cancellation.
The dissolution was caused by a simple lack of interest and participation from the student body.
“Marching band isn’t happening because the numbers were too low,” said Atly Kidder, who would have been the Assistant Drum Major this year. “We got like 15 kids, and we need like 30 or more to do a really good show. So we didn’t do it because it would have been worth it for anybody.”
And while the program would technically still be able to function with limited numbers, it would mean a lot more work from those involved and result in a less enjoyable experience.
“For competitions, if you don’t have enough people, you kind of just look like a few lost people wandering around the field, rather than a big show,” said senior Danielle Garff this year’s would-be Drum Major.
The reason for the decreased numbers can be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the protocol changes surrounding it. Last year’s marching band was heavily affected by the restrictions, limiting the amount of marching movements allowed in a routine and not allowing the marching band to compete in competitions. These changes made for a less than ideal experience for those participating in the program.
“A lot of the kids who were doing marching band at the time didn’t want to come back because that was their experience,” Kidder said.
Another cause of the decline in numbers can be shown by a decrease in students participating in band as a whole.
“Overall, when you are looking at the band program, the numbers at the middle school continue to go down,” said Timothy Kidder, Atly Kidder’s father and the band teacher at NS. “And if you don’t do band in middle school, it’s really hard, not impossible, but really hard to pick that up in high school.”
To Timothy Kidder, the decision of not doing marching band was a difficult one that was only made after considering every other possible solution. Still, losing the program was a disappointment to him and all of those who had been involved.
“We have some great seniors this year in band,” Timothy Kidder said. “We have some phenomenal leaders. Some of the kids have done marching band for two or three years now, and then all-of-a-sudden it’s like, ‘Oh, you don’t get to do that.’ That was a really hard conversation.”
The end of the program came as a big letdown for Garff, Atley Kidder and several others who have been dedicated to marching band. Garff wishes that she and the other leaders could have done more to keep the program running before it was too late.
“At first I was kind of mad,” Garff said, “but now I’m more bummed at myself and the leadership that we didn’t do all that we could have done.”
However, Timothy Kidder still holds out hope that future years could see the return of the marching band program to NS.
“My plan for this year is to really focus on what we are doing. So we are doing pep band, and we are going to make a really strong showing there and have as much fun and be as supportive as we can to sports teams,” Timothy Kidder said. “We’re really going to double down on doing a great job on what we’re able to do. Hopefully that generates enough excitement and interest that in the future we can get the numbers that we need to bring the marching band back.”
