The lights buzzing, helmets clashing, and drums pounding fuel the crowd’s roars, as the band sets the rhythm and tempo of the game giving not only the crowd but players energy. Marching band and pep band showcase how they play a key role in Friday Night Lights (FNL).
Jeffrey Hayman, the band teacher at Rocklin High School (RHS), is going into his second year of teaching here. When asked how he thinks the band contributes to the energy of FNL he said, “I think it’s a large contributor. I think one of the special things about Friday Night Lights or the American football culture in general is that it’s so much about the pageantry.” That pageantry is our school spirit, and here at RHS many factors go into our spirit.
During FNL, the band is not the only people out there — cheer and the storm also play key roles in showcasing that school spirit. Mr. Hayman said he feels like the experience of FNL is unique due to “many different parts coming together to provide an atmosphere.” Each of these programs contributes to the atmosphere in its own way, and with that comes traditions. Since Mr. Hayman is fairly new to RHS, he plans on creating some of his own. “They’re just [traditions] that I’m trying to start, you know, because traditions have to come from somewhere, and it’s kind of fun,” he said.
Junior Talia Gridley is heavily involved in the pep band and is also a drum major. Gridley is one of the key leaders in executing a great performance during FNL.
“We play a lot of music that people can do stuff with, especially the student section,” she said.
She said she feels that the pep band is a large contributor and that they try to play whenever they can to bring more energy not only to the crowd but to the players as well. The pep band plays many interactive songs to get the crowd, the storm, and cheer involved. For example, they will play We Will Rock You by Queen, getting the crowd to stomp, stomp, clap before every kickoff.
Gridley has also been a part of many of the traditions that are being created. Before the season starts, the band always has band camp where “everybody gets to meet each other, we go over the songs, we work on the field shows, and it’s a lot of fun.” Once the season starts the band puts in a lot of time in and outside of school to prepare for FNL just as sports teams prepare. Every Friday before the game starts, the band gets there at 5 pm and they start to rehearse and go over what they will be playing. Like the football team, after rehearsing, they have their own type of “team” dinner before the game. There they build more relationships and relax before they perform.
Grant McGarry is a junior at RHS and a kicker on the varsity football team. He is specifically the kicker for kickoff, and every time he goes out there he hears that stomp, stomp, clap that was started by the band. He said he feels as a player that the storm and band work in sync to build an incredible atmosphere. When asked how the energy is when they play away, he said he feels “like the energy [isn’t] the same.”
Without the band, the team “ha[s] to find [their] own energy,” McGarry said. When they play away, they still go through their regular hype routine consisting of coach speeches and chants, but when the game starts there is a type of “silence” from the crowd.
As the game comes to an end and the players start to shake hands and the fans start to exit, the band continues to play and keeps the energy alive till everybody leaves the field. Without the band, FNL would not be the same.
