Every year, the Skyhawk Marching Band fills Graham Stadium with a wall of sound that makes halftime fun and entertaining for everyone. This year, they are taking us all to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars.
Director of Athletic Bands, Dr. Bill Waterman said, “This year, I wanted to do something fun and energetic as always. I saw the new TV commercial for the new Star Wars movie and said, ‘You know, that’s cool,’ and everyone else was really excited about it. Everybody loves Star Wars, so we said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Waterman isn’t the only one who’s excited about the show. Brent Hopper, Senior music education major, said, “This is hands-down my favorite show since I’ve been here, and it’s been super cool to watch this ensemble grow. The performance level has escalated so high within the past couple of months, and it’s been great to be a part of that.”
Trevor Mayhall, Junior music education major and drum major for the Skyhawk Marching Band, said, “For the Skyhawk Band this year, we’re really excited to have Star Wars as our show theme. We’re all excited about the music. Star Wars is something everybody knows, so everyone’s going to connect to it in some way.”
The show’s music borrows from the original Star Wars trilogy, mainly from Episode IV: A New Hope. The audience will instantly recognize and enjoy the iconic John Williams pieces which include The Main Theme, The Imperial March, The Cantina Band and more.
The band has worked very hard this year to bring quality entertainment to spectators this year. “From day one at band camp, we’ve had this positive energy. Even when it’s been the hottest, most miserable day, we’ve had a positive energy going into it, which is something I’m very proud of,” says Sophomore meteorology and music major Charles Taylor. “This is my second year here, and they’ve been through a lot of change the past four or five years now, and we’re trying to build some consistency into the program and set the tone for who we are as the Skyhawk Marching Band and what we can do for the community,” said Dr. Waterman. “Our goals are always to entertain and play music at the highest level and really inspire the crowd, and they (the band) are really getting into it this year.”
The marching band has a total of seven performances this year, including five home football games and two exhibitions at the Skyhawk Marching Band Invitational held on Saturday, Sept. 12.
“We hope the audience enjoys it as much as we’ve enjoyed performing it and putting it together,” said Trevor Mayhall.
