PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Thousands of high school musicians across the state return to the field for camp and the fall marching band season.
And while many hope to put 2020 behind them, band directors and administrators are taking all precautions to keep everyone safe.
“I am going to be your biggest cheerleader. You’ll know when you nailed something on the show because I’ll be on the sideline like boom!,” said Pickerington North High School Director of Bands Gregory Benson.
Benson said Band Camp is vital for success during the season.
The 12-hour marathon days in the dog days of summer will help the group set up its competition show in the fall, work on visuals and sound.
“It’s about taking from zero to 100, the training from freshmen, who have never done this before, training them how to do it and then putting a production on the field. We do about 10 weeks of learning in this one week of Band Camp,” said Benson.
Last season, because of the pandemic and guidelines, the Panthers’ marching band wasn’t able to compete or travel to away games.
Benson said the group of 150 students is anxious to get back to the grind this fall.
“We’re grateful that because we were able to do a lot last year, we feel that our retention was pretty high through the COVID experience, where some has unfortunately not been as lucky and others have even grown their programs,” said Benson.
Masks are optional for students and staff in Pickerington Schools this coming year and the superintendent has said he trusts that parents of unvaccinated children will send them to school with a mask.
Benson said he trusts what the Board of Education decides and the band will take proper precautions.
“I hope that we can move forward and we’re past the worst part of it. Obviously, our district is very aware and savvy as they analyze all that data. Our students did a really good job following all those protocols, they continue to do that. So I know our students are resilient and they care about this enough that they are going to do what it takes to make it happen,” said Benson.
The first half of Pickerington North’s competition show is titled “The Bridge.”
Benson said that’s metaphorical in a lot of ways, and what he hopes sets the tone for a successful and rewarding season for students.
“Coming out of a challenging year into the future, one of the unifying melodies is actually London Bridge. You hear that throughout our show and that kind of ties it all together. We hope that they learn skills like accountability, gifting of their talents that they are given to others and working together, teamwork,” said Benson.
The Pickerington North High School Band will play at football games this fall. Their competition begins on Sept. 25 and ends with the yearly OMEA or the Ohio Music Educators Association event.
