As the sun set over the stadium, the Palo Alto High School pep band along with middle school band members from Greene Middle School and JLS Middle School took their positions to ignite the crowd’s spirit at the first home football game of the season this Friday.
The Paly pep band side by side with 130 eighth grade band members from Greene and JLS delivered an energetic and memorable performance. The collaboration aimed to foster a sense of community and encourage younger students to join the high school band in the future.
During the game, the band performed a series of well-rehearsed routines and tunes, including our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and “Heavy Action” by Johnny Pearson during pregame, as well as “Evil Ways” by Santana and “Land of 1,000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett during halftime.
According to senior band member Jeanie Kwak, including middle school students added depth and volume to the performance.
“Having the high schoolers and middle schoolers play together makes it more exciting and encourages the middle schoolers to join the band in high school,” Kwak said.
Bae said that the band members found joy and camaraderie through the experience.
“It’s a fun time just hanging out with friends,” Bae said. “It’s not all about playing; it’s about your friends and everything.”
According to Paly band teacher Katie Gilchrist, she looked forward to the collaboration of the three schools for the night.
“Palo Alto has amazing music and arts programs and this event helps retain and build community relationships between our students,” Gilchrist said. “What’s really sweet is seeing siblings between different schools playing together. It’s very wholesome.”
JLS Middle School Principal Chris Grierson said it was fun to watch the enthusiasm from the students during the game.
“It was really cool to see the anticipation of our students because for many of them this might be their first time at a football game and to take it all in: the players, the cheerleaders and just the noise from the crowd,” Grierson said. “What was really impressive to me was not only the coordinated cheers in the background but also the wall of sound that they created as an ensemble. It was really powerful.”
Grierson said the collaboration between high school and middle school students brought a sense of belonging for everyone.
“I have so much pride and so much eagerness to be a part of a continued community,” Grierson said. “You expose the middle school students now to what band could be in high school and they feel like ‘yes, I want that when I get to high school.’”
