Excitement is building this week as the Berthoud High School marching band puts the final touches on a show they hope will propel them to a state championship title.

Courtesy photo – Members of the Berthoud High School marching band practice their program for the state band competition to be held in Grand Junction on October 31.

Thirty-two students and their band director, Sean Hedding, have invested hundreds of hours preparing a fun and inventive show to impress the judges in Grand Junction on Monday, October 31. In addition to learning complex marching patterns, the show requires band members to incorporate acting and choreography into their routine. BHS senior, Kayla Petrovich, is the band’s drum major. She describes the Dracula-themed show titled, “Bite Me,” as a real crowd-pleaser. “It’s unusual for students to pay attention to the band during half-time at a football game,” she said, “but during our show, everybody gets quiet and pays attention. It’s a fun show to watch.”

Scarlett Austin, also a senior, is a member of the color guard, a relatively new addition to the band. “Color guard just started two years ago,” said Austin, “and making state this soon is huge!” The band last qualified for a state competition in 2015. The color guard plays a particularly visible role in this year’s production when Dracula bites a member of the team, setting off a cascade of bites turning into bats. Blood-red flags and bat kites take the field as more and more band members fall under Dracula’s spell. A particularly appropriate show for a competition being held on Halloween.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest from other students and from the whole town,” says Ian Hopkins, a band percussionist, who is concerned about what will happen to the band next year. “I’m glad people are interested because we need more people to join the band. 13 of us are graduating this year and we’ll be losing both percussionists.” He hopes to help recruit more 8th graders to join next year when they see how much fun it is to be in the band.

BHS band director, Sean Hedding, is proud of how far his students have come when the challenges they’ve faced have been so daunting. “I’m super proud of these kids and how hard they worked,” said Hedding, “practicing at home during Covid, learning how to work with a new director — they’re successful today because of their resilience and their commitment to music.” Hedding is also grateful to have finally gotten some help in the BHS music department so he could spend more time working with the band. He has gotten some help from others in the planning and rehearsal stages for the show, but most weeks he spends around 60 hours on preparation and band practices. This week he’ll top 72 hours as the band prepares to head to Grand Junction on Sunday. “I couldn’t do it without heavy support from the band parents,” he emphasized, “they build the props, they drive the equipment, and they support our fundraisers all year long.”

Fundraising is an essential part of the marching band experience, because a band, and competition, are expensive endeavors.  “It will cost us 7 to 8 thousand dollars just for the bus, hotel and a few meals,” said Hedding, “not to mention we need to replace both tubas, and they cost $4,000 each.” “But,” added drum major Petrovich, “there is a lot of tradition, and marching band adds well-roundedness to school. It’s a unique part of our education.”

The school will host a combined send-off rally for students and parents at the high school on Friday. The send-off will be for both the band and the high school’s cross-country team, which also recently qualified for state-level competition.

Donations can be made to the BHS marching band through their website: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/parent-boosters-usa-inc