The Parkway North Marching Band performed in front of a crowd of 15,522 people before the Aug. 8 Cardinals game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“My favorite part was seeing all the people in the stands,” said sophomore Meg Yeater, who is the assistant saxophone section leader. “[And there was] a big crowd that we don’t usually get.”
Performing at Cardinals games is a big deal for any school, but Parkway North is no stranger to the diamond, having played songs like the national anthem and “God Bless America” at baseball games since 2005.
“We have done this for over 20 years, so we selected what games would fit in our schedule. We try to schedule it during our band camp as one of our first performances,” marching band director Andrew LaRose said.
Members like senior Phillip Wright, who have been in marching band for several years, felt prepared since they have played in front of a crowd at Busch Stadium before.
“I felt prepared because I’ve known how to play “God Bless America” for years, but it felt like a lot of people just dipped out, and some of them didn’t know how to play it,” Wright said.
The marching band began practicing for this performance as well as the entire season on July 25 when they began a 3-week-long band camp.
“During band camp, we typically have time where we are learning to march, and also have time where we are practicing music. Starting from day one of band camp, we started practicing ‘God Bless America’ along with all of our other music,” LaRose said.
Band Camp helped the band prepare for the upcoming year and the game. It also helped introduce the incoming freshmen to what band is like at the high school level.
“Band camp helped us learn all the music and learn how to play together since we have like 30 new freshmen. It helped them all figure out what was happening,” Yeater said.
Scheduling to play at Busch Stadium can be a challenge since approximately 250 bands and choirs from around the country perform there annually. This year, Parkway Central scheduled to perform for the Cardinals on Aug. 8 as well, so there was a conflict. The two schools came to a compromise, where Central’s band would play the national anthem and North’s would play “God Bless America.”
“We typically play the national anthem, but this year we played ‘God Bless America’ because Parkway Central also wanted that date,” LaRose said. “That was fine because we both perform ‘God Bless America’ and the national anthem at our pregame for every football game.”
Even though the band only had a short time to practice their music and they played a different song than they usually play, the performance turned out well.
“The band sounded fantastic which is crazy considering it’s the beginning of the school year,” assistant principal Chris Gray, who attended the game, said. “Watching the students do really cool things that I could never imagine doing – like the band – that was great.”
Administrators including superintendent Dr. Keith Marty and principal David Jones also attended and enjoyed the evening.
While playing in front of such a large crowd can be nerve-racking, it can also be exhilarating and comes with benefits.
“I think it’s a really cool opportunity for the band and choirs. It is a big atmosphere there, so kind of being comfortable with that you might be more prepared for other things that might get thrown at you in high school,” Cardinals account executive Thomas Burton said. “It just kind of creates those memories that you can look back on when you’re older.”
“I thought it was a really fun thing to do, and when I was invested in the game, I got to do this, so it was just a good time,” Wright said.
After performing, band members were able to relax and enjoy the game with other band members, friends from Parkway Central, and other fans. They even started the wave a couple of times.
“[We had] a good time and lots of great food. We got to sit next to Parkway Central, so friends from the other schools were there, and it was really a fun night,” LaRose said.
“The game was good. I always enjoy a Cardinals game,” Gray said. “I enjoyed the band’s performance and got to talk to some of the kids. Just seeing them grow up from freshman year to senior year…then I get to shake their hand as they cross the stage. It’s why I do this; it’s really cool. I love it.”
