Friday night football games are the hotspots for eagle spirit at Enloe, with friends gathering together, collectively dressed in a colorful theme, all to support the star athletes that make up our wonderful football team. Screams echo throughout the stands for touchdowns and Enloe athletes on the rise, and everyone goes home at the end of the night feeling refreshed and energized, whether or not Enloe took the victory. What many people forget about the football game experience, however, is our school’s Marching Band.

Picture yourself sitting in the student section at one of these games. Without the frequent accompaniment of the music from the marching band, wouldn’t the silence speak volumes, even over our screams? One of the reasons the student section gets so animated in the first place is because of the routine songs they play in the stands, and the student body is grateful for it: “…the band really is a focus for all the energy to funnel through so we can get united on one chant and really boost our players up,” expressed Feehan Tuttell (senior) while attending one of the Friday night football games. Not only does the Marching Band make the audience experience better by playing in the stands, but they also provide a sublime halftime show with Color Guard to guarantee smiles across the field. 

The marching band’s halftime performance features works from a wide range of artists, including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Samuel Barber’s “Medea’s Dance of Vengeance,” The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and more. Working alongside Color Guard, Enloe’s marching band puts months of work together to provide the student body with a visually and musically stunning show that guarantees a great night for all viewers, students and staff alike. Maya Spencer (senior) added, “The marching band provides this large sense of community that is already cheering for your team and providing this giant crowd of spirit, and so it’s really easy for the rest of the student section to leech off of their energy and give all the best spirit to the football team.”

The tight-knit family dynamic of the marching band is one of the most noteworthy things about them, and is one of the reasons they are so good at what they do. Drum Major Elliot Hollis explains how his favorite part about the marching band is “seeing all the rookies go from immediately being really bad at what they do to grow, not as just players…and marchers– but also as people –and just seeing the connections they develop and the friends they make. It’s just so wonderful to see these people start their high school experience off on the right foot.” Although the work can be tiresome and is a big time commitment, the friendships made and shared experiences endured make it one of the best organizations to be a part of at Enloe. If you’ve ever met someone who plays in the marching band, you’ll know how important it is to them because it’s usually one of their main topics of conversation. 

So, whether they are bragging in brass or setting the tone for a high-spirited football game with their daily after-school band practices, the Enloe Marching Band will continue to be the true stars of Friday night.