Music is everywhere. Whether students are listening with headphones in the halls or singing along to the school song, music is the melody that connects us throughout Sandburg.

For some, music is a greater part of their daily life. Those who choose to participate in Sandburg’s Marching Band know this better than anybody. With practices lasting up to 6 hours and all day competitions, Marching Band becomes quite the commitment. But what does it truly mean to be one of these Marching Eagles? What is it that makes their music soar?

Marching Band at Sandburg is open to all students who participate in a band elective.  Students in marching band are required to attend practices and rehearsals to prepare for competitions, where the band performs a memorized show. The band also plays at most, if not all, home varsity football games. All of these  performances are led by marching band’s skilled conductors, Mr. Bailey and Mr. Hillhouse, as well as the drum majors (upperclassmen that have been trained to conduct the band).

Almost all concert band instruments, percussion (drums, xylophone, etc.), and color guard (the special visual performers who work with flags) make up the marching band.

Sandburg has had a marching band since before its first performance at the school’s dedication in 1954. This event was momentous as Carl Sandburg himself visited and saw the band perform.

Ever since, Marching Band has slowly expanded with thematic performances including The Upside Down (Stranger Things-themed), Beetlejuice, and The Twilight Zone. The theme of this year’s show this year is the World of Tomorrow, inspired by retrofuturism in the 1960s television show The Jetsons, featuring skilled marches, moving planets, and an out-of-this-world finale.

None of this would be possible without the directors and drum majors. Mr. Bailey is a conductor for orchestra, wind symphony, and marching band. He states, “I was a percussionist back in high school…I then went back later to Northwestern to re-open my Master’s Degree and complete the double major adding music education to music performance. I have taught at Sandburg for 28 years, starting in 1996.”

Mr. Hillhouse is the conductor of symphonic band, concert band, and marching band. He started learning piano at the age of five; then, Mr. Hillhouse went on to play French horn from 5th grade (his favorite band instrument) to when he got his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois for Music Education.

Senior drum major Nicholas Diaz, has played saxophone for nine years and is an active music composer who sought to pursue conducting because “conducting was pretty much the only facet of music [he] hadn’t explored yet.”

Marching band is beneficial from both staff and student perspectives. Mr. Hillhouse explains, “Marching band attributes to physical benefits like improved coordination, posture, and stamina, while also strengthening time management, discipline, and focus.”

Mr. Bailey mentions how participating in marching band fosters “pride in yourself and your group, and [brings] the joy and pride of being part of something bigger.” Through hard work and repeated practice, marching band proves that anything can be accomplished. 

It may not seem like it at first, but marching band is considered to be a sport. “If we define a sport as a competitive activity that involves a certain amount of physical effort and commitment, then marching band would definitely be a sport,” states Mr. Bailey. But in Marching Band, there are no bench-riders. Everyone is a starter and gets to play. 

It’s not without its challenges, though. All music and corresponding marching must be memorized for all events. Even conducting can be challenging when there are “2-3 times more students” than in a concert band, explains Mr. Hillhouse.

To become a conducting drum major of the band is an even more intense and time consuming commitment. Diaz, for instance, watches multiple college and concert conductors to study their styles and even practices in the mirror.

The marching band itself creates a familial bond between all who join. Mr. Bailey agrees, saying “[Marching Band] can make the big school [of] 2700+ students feel a little smaller.” 

The final payoff of all the hard work is phenomenal as well. Diaz states, “When the final chord resonates throughout the entire stadium. Standing in the stadium, hearing the applause from the stands, standing with people that you have spent the last several months working hard and making music with, and seeing the final product of your efforts, produces an unimaginable feeling that reminds us as to why we spend those grueling hours in both the undying heat and the bitter cold. It’s why we would do it one hundred times over.”

And many audiences can’t help but agree after seeing the Sandburg Marching Band magic in action. As each student marches perfectly in unison, they create a true musical masterpiece across the field.