“Still Standing” at the Marching Band Showcase

2024 Marching Band Showcase

Photo: Drum Major Annice Bellows directing the Blazer Pride Marching Band.

Drum Major Annice Bellows directing the Blazer Pride Marching Band. Photo courtesy of Petey de Brauw.

On Saturday Oct. 19, Blair’s Blazer Pride Marching Band played in the annual Marching Band Showcase at Albert Einstein High School with 14 other Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) high schools. After opening with a middle school massed band playing the national anthem, each school performed a four part show designed around a clear theme, ending with all bands returning to the field and playing “Shut Up and Dance.” 

Blair’s band’s performance was a tribute to musical legend Elton John, and was made up of a collection of four of his most famous songs– “I’m Still Standing,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “Your Song,” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” Junior piccolo and flute player, Janaki Katz, explained that the band chose this theme because it was different and exciting. “This year, we wanted something really recognizable, Elton John is a very iconic artist… everyone was really excited, it was music that everyone liked to perform,” they said. 

But what went into the show itself? Junior trumpet player Zadie Brown detailed some of the best and most challenging aspects of the band’s performance. “This is definitely the most difficult show I’ve done while I’ve been in the marching band… I think our formations are sharper than they’ve ever been. I think everybody’s really good at getting where they need to be, and that looks really, really clean,” she said. 

Besides putting together musically complex shows like Elton John’s music, the marching band has also run into other hurdles while preparing for this season. Brown explained that the band this year is much smaller than it’s been in the past. “We have a really small band this year, the smallest we've ever been in a really long time. We have 37 people this year. Normally, we have 40 or more… a big challenge [of that] is everybody making sure their individual part sounds really, really good this year,” she explained. 

Besides the Marching Band Showcase, the Blazer Pride Marching Band has a busy season lined up. Katz described some of the other events the marching band performs at, including home football games and other school events. “We play at local parades, like the Labor Day parade. We also do a Thanksgiving Day Parade… [and] participating in Voces [Unidas],” they said. Make sure to look out for their stellar performances at these events! 

The Blair Marching Band is performing next at the senior night football game on Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. in the Blair Stadium. Tickets for the game can be found here.