By Khalida Sarwari
What’s the first thing the Saratoga High School marching band kids wanted right after completing a 5.5-mile march through the streets of Pasadena following the Tournament of Roses Parade? Nothing fancy, just some well-deserved burgers and fries from In-N-Out.
And the second thing? Sleep. In fact, they’re still working on that one.
The 200-plus-member band just returned from a whirlwind trip to Southern California that was bookended by a performance with Redwood Middle School in Disneyland and the prestigious Rose Parade on New Year’s Day. In between, they performed at Bandfest, a field show at Pasadena City College, and made a little time to say goodbye to 2015 and welcome the new year in the ballroom of their hotel in Burbank, even if it was Eastern Standard Time because they had to go to bed early for the parade.
“I couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off the new year than being surrounded by my friends and fellow bandmates,” said Adrianna White, a junior who plays the trombone.
The following day, while many people were just about to slip into bed, members of the marching band were up and at ’em as soon as their alarm clocks started buzzing at 4 a.m. Even amid the rush of getting dressed and prepared before the main event, director Andrew Ford recalled the kids checking in with each other, asking one another if they’d had breakfast or if they needed help mending a button on their uniform.
“That sense of camaraderie and team spirit really came out in every corner; it was so great,” he said.
With their uniforms on, hair styled and instruments packed, the students set out in buses for Pasadena. Once they reached the staging area, there was little time to spare, with the students having only five minutes to get off the bus, get their instruments tuned, warm up and get information. Ford described the scene as one resembling an army drill.
Even under all that pressure, “the kids were spectacular,” said music director Michael Boitz.
Still, that didn’t mean the butterflies weren’t there, said Adrianna, although she found that it helped to be around other teachers, friends and bandmates who were just as nervous.
“I was really surprised that everyone kept a relatively calm demeanor about it,” Adrianna said. “It was just an amazing experience altogether, from the marching, the demeanor of the band and the energy that flowed through everyone.”
Once the parade came to an end about two hours later, the kids were free to nosh on all the In-N-Out their hearts desired and meet other band members from around the world before returning to their hotel for a send-off banquet that evening.
The festivities aside, Boitz said the students and faculty members enjoyed running into people in the area by coincidence who were either former Saratoga High School students in the ’70s and ’80s or had some type of connection to the school or the marching band.
“Everywhere we turned it was somebody related to somebody who graduated from Saratoga or knew someone,” he said. “It was like a weeklong reunion.”
For Adrianna, the trip was an experience of a lifetime and one she won’t soon forget, she said. And for Boitz, who still comes into work with a smile on his face, it was yet another feather to add to his cap.
“This is my 18th year at Saratoga High, and I’m bursting with joy and pride over the students we have in the band program,” he said. “I hesitate to use the word subculture, but it’s probably the most enthusiastic and fun subculture there is. I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”
