On Friday, October 10th, Harrison High School’s Marching Band traveled to the University of Pennsylvania to play at the football game against Marist University. The band had the unique opportunity to perform with the UPenn marching band as the main halftime show performance. For many of the seniors on the band, this was an especially memorable experience as four years prior, during their freshman year, the marching band had travelled to play at a football game against Lafayette University.

The morning of the trip, the marching band members arrived at school bright and early and shared a breakfast provided by the Band Parent Association in order to fuel up for the long and exciting day ahead. Even at an early hour, the band members were very excited. Current Harrison Drum Major and Senior, Benji Ferris reflected on his trip to UPenn from his freshman year: “Freshman year it was very different; the culture was different and we had a smaller band. It’s so significant for me to be going back with such a developed group. It really is a full circle moment for so many of the seniors.” 

Prior to loading the coach buses, the band snuck in a quick rehearsal of the music they were planning to perform at UPenn. The order of the halftime show dictated the order they practiced their music in: “Counting Stars”, by OneRepublic, followed by “Accidentally in Love”, by Counting Crows, and lastly “99 Red Balloons”, by Nena. 

Later in the morning, as the band arrived at the University of Pennsylvania, the band was greeted by Dr. Kushol Gupta, professor at Perelman School of Medicine (UPenn) and Pep Band director, and a few student leaders in the band. After being warmly welcomed and personally escorted to UPenn Performing Arts Music Center to drop off instruments and other personal belongings, the band embarked on a charming tour of the university campus with Dr. Gupta. The group visited the engineering building to observe and learn about the ENIAC, the first computer created in 1945, from a few Penn Band members majoring in electrical engineering. To conclude the tour, the band visited one of the many art museums on campus. 

Upon returning to the Performing Arts Music Center, the band settled in for a rehearsal of the halftime show. Led by Penn Band Drum Major, Pati Martinez, the Harrison Band ran through all three pieces, learning new and unique Penn Band traditions along the way. A traditional Pennsylvania Wawa hoagie dinner was held to celebrate the exciting performance ahead before the roar of the drumline was heard, signaling the band’s march down to Penn Park for further rehearsal. 

The last couple of hours leading up to the long anticipated performance were spent learning the drill alongside the rest of the Penn Band. Of course, during the weeks leading up to this trip the Harrison Band had been hard at work spending hours practicing individually and as a group at additional rehearsals to ensure a high quality performance. After getting used to playing with college students, they went on to share the most important tradition: the “Scatter Routine.” This entails running around and screaming to create chaos during the transition period between songs. This was a very new experience for most members of the Harrison band as typically a very specific and organized drill is created for each individual member of the band and learned during Band Camp in the summer, prior to school and the football season. The experience was special for the band as they got to experience how other schools, specifically Ivy League schools, get swiftly organized to put on a show.

After wrapping up the final rehearsal before the performance, the Harrison Band followed swiftly behind the Penn Band members to march their way down to the historic Franklin Field, where the football game was about to begin. One of the most exciting aspects of this experience was that the Harrison Band had the incredible opportunity to perform the Star Spangled-Banner for the entire stadium on their own in the middle of the field. After this once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, the Harrison students followed the Penn Band up to the bleachers to play iconic stand-tunes during the first two quarters of the game. After the UPenn football team scored two touchdowns, the energy and excitement had reached a new maximum. Then came the time for the moment that the marching band had been waiting for: the halftime show. 

The bands headed down to the field where some more UPenn routines took place, just minutes before the performance. The different instruments grouped together and warmed up based on what was best for their specific instruments. Some final pictures were taken and the low brass/woodwind section warmed up by creating a human pyramid. It was finally time. All members of the marching band kept calm and collected as they braced and ran onto the field to begin scattering. With absolute perfection, the show was performed and cheers from the crowd could be heard after every song. Hard work and dedication led to a televised moment of success and triumph. 

Reflecting on the experience, Harrison Drum Major and senior, Chris Decina, stated, “My freshman year it was exciting to be on a trip for a club, as it was the first time I got to experience anything like this. I think my excitement levels were similar but in the back of my mind I’m really glad my experience, not only in marching band but in high school, has come full circle.”

The Harrison High School Marching Band thanks the UPenn Band students and directors for the incredible opportunity and looks forward to many more unique experiences. Additionally, the group encourages everyone to come support the football team, cheerleaders, and marching band at Senior Recognition Night on Friday, October 17th!