WHY SHOULD i BE IN HIGH SCHOOL BAND?
From Rock to Classical, from Jazz to Rhythm and Blues, there is a place for every kind of music and an opportunity to share your talent with other people who love the same things you do; music and performing.
Travel
The band or affiliated groups have traveled to:
The band and its various performing ensembles perform for thousands of people each year in many different situations. In the past, they have performed live for 250,000 people as they marched through the streets of Hollywood, CA in the “Hollywood Christmas Parade”. They have performed in front of half a million people live and an estimated 2.5 million more on the international telecast of the Chinese New Years Day Parade in San Francisco, CA. They’ve performed alongside Mickey Mouse as they were invited to perform as the featured ensemble for the opening of the “Festival of Trees” in Atlanta. They’ve even had an impromptu performance on TOP of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. If you love to perform, to hear a crowd roar its approval and know you were the cause, the band is the place to be.
Friends
You will walk in the door of high school your first day as a freshman and have approximately 100 friends, and 75 percent of them will be upperclassmen who have SPECIFIC instructions to look out for our freshmen members.
Success
The Northgate Viking Marching Band is the most competitively successful organization in the HISTORY of Northgate High School. In 22 years as a competitive unit, the band has earned in excess of 200 Class, Divisional or Grand Championship Awards. There is no second string, EVERY STUDENT has the chance to be a vital part of the legacy of Champions that have walked through that band room door.
Travel
The band or affiliated groups have traveled to:
- Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Pensacola, Florida
- Washington, D.C.
- Mobile, Alabama
- San Diego, California
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Dayton, Ohio
- Tampa, Florida
- Hollywood, California
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
The band and its various performing ensembles perform for thousands of people each year in many different situations. In the past, they have performed live for 250,000 people as they marched through the streets of Hollywood, CA in the “Hollywood Christmas Parade”. They have performed in front of half a million people live and an estimated 2.5 million more on the international telecast of the Chinese New Years Day Parade in San Francisco, CA. They’ve performed alongside Mickey Mouse as they were invited to perform as the featured ensemble for the opening of the “Festival of Trees” in Atlanta. They’ve even had an impromptu performance on TOP of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. If you love to perform, to hear a crowd roar its approval and know you were the cause, the band is the place to be.
Friends
You will walk in the door of high school your first day as a freshman and have approximately 100 friends, and 75 percent of them will be upperclassmen who have SPECIFIC instructions to look out for our freshmen members.
Success
The Northgate Viking Marching Band is the most competitively successful organization in the HISTORY of Northgate High School. In 22 years as a competitive unit, the band has earned in excess of 200 Class, Divisional or Grand Championship Awards. There is no second string, EVERY STUDENT has the chance to be a vital part of the legacy of Champions that have walked through that band room door.
Does being in band help me in my other classes?
The study of music has been proven to have a significant impact on students academic success. Below are articles and statistics published over the last 20 years that show a direct correlation to the success of students who study music versus students that do not.
Band Articles
Band Articles
Can I afford to be in band?
The Northgate Band Boosters work to ensure that every student that wants to participate is able to do so. Any student and their family that is willing to work with us to alleviate any financial concerns, we stand ready to work with you to make it possible to participate.
What is the time commitment like?
In July, there are usually two to three rehearsals per week in the evenings. Students are expected to be at rehearsals unless they are on a family vacation. Band camp, which is usually the third full week in July, is an intense week of rehearsals every day where a good portion of the fall field show is learned. Once school starts, the band rehearses 8 hours per week over the course of three days. There are usually two Saturday full day rehearsals (one in August and one in September) and then three competitive dates on a Saturday in September or October. The band also hosts their own marching contest on the first Saturday in October each year.
After the competitive season is over, in November the band cuts back to two days of rehearsal each week for a total of 3 to 4 hours to complete the football season. There is a local holiday parade in December and a joint parade in January with the other two HS bands in the county but rehearsals for both of those events are minimal.
While being a part of the marching band program does require an investment of time, anything worth having or being a part of requires the same.
After the competitive season is over, in November the band cuts back to two days of rehearsal each week for a total of 3 to 4 hours to complete the football season. There is a local holiday parade in December and a joint parade in January with the other two HS bands in the county but rehearsals for both of those events are minimal.
While being a part of the marching band program does require an investment of time, anything worth having or being a part of requires the same.
Can I do High School Band if I am also in... (Sport, Club, Activity)?
While some sports do have a schedule that do not allow students to participate in the marching band (football and competitive cheer leading for example), we have students who participate in many other different sports and activities. It is the opinion of the directors that they want you to be as successful as possible in the band program but we also want you to be well rounded and have other experiences as well.
I play a double reed instrument, can I still do Marching Band?
ABSOLUTELY !! We have many double reed players that have either played a secondary wind instrument, performed as part of our percussion section or marched as part of our color guard program. We will work to help any student with the right work ethic find a way to participate as part of the Viking Marching Band.