The whistle blows, the football players vacate the field. Taking their place are the heroes-of-halftime: the marching band. But who are those people standing in front?
When the marching band took the field for their first halftime performance of the year on Aug. 22, a small group of members from the Electric Ensemble joined them.
This isn’t the first time the Electric Ensemble has collaborated with the marching band, though.
“We collaborated with the Marching Band during the 2022 season for the pre-game show, performing ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica,” Electric Ensemble director Samantha Schnabel said.
Last spring, band director Jared Smith gave Schnabel a sneak peek about the plans for this year’s girl power show and she was hooked.
“The moment he mentioned ‘Survivor’ and ‘Dance the Night’, I immediately started chatting with him about a possible collaboration,” Schnabel said.
The planning and coordination progress has been smooth sailing according to Schnabel because the students have taken charge over their own roles and preparation.
“Violinist Olivia Christian even arranged the string parts to ‘Dance the Night’ and did a fantastic job,” Schnabel said.
Senior Electric Ensemble member Owen White said he joined the group because it sounded like fun.
“It’s just a good experience to play with other people,” White said.
Junior marching band member Ethan Overly shared a similar sentiment about working with another music discipline.
“Getting the opportunity to share the field with people who are not usually with the band has been nothing but a wonderful time,” Overly said.
It is clear that this has been a new experience for everyone involved, especially for the members of the Electric Ensemble.
“It’s interesting to be in that outdoor setting,” White said. “I don’t really get to play a lot outdoors.”
Overly has also commented on the uniqueness of the experience.
“Collaborating with the Electric Ensemble and other music disciplines has given the band a unique chance to participate with people and instruments . . . that we would not experience otherwise,” Overly said.
One of White’s favorite parts of working with the marching band is working around their different sound.
“They obviously have a very different sound and are much louder, especially when they move and dance around the field their sound changes as the direction of their bodies shift, so it’s been interesting to play around that,” White said.
Schnabel made a similar statement to White about having her students play with the marching band
“While I was there to support them, much of the process was theirs to navigate. They were immersed in a culture very different from what they’re used to in the orchestra world down the hall,” Schnabel said. “Even the style of leadership is different in marching band, and I think having to adapt to such a different environment was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.”
Working with the marching band has been so positive for Schnabel and her students that she plans to expand collaborations with other music groups.
“This school year, we’re trying something new: a joint concert with Ace A’pellas and Blue Notes on March 12, 2026,” Schnabel said.
Sadly, White will be graduating this year and will no longer get to play with the marching band; however, he really enjoyed getting to work with them.
“It was a fun experience,” White said. “I hope people keep it up in the following years.”
