The crowd roars with excitement as the second quarter of the football game comes to an end. 

Tahoma leads by seven points. A rare sight for our school. The ref blows his whistle and the players run off the field, jumping and shouting with excitement.

 They make their way into the locker room, soon out of sight. But the crowd stays standing as the marching band files onto the field. 

On the mic, the announcer rings out, “Annnnd welcome our 2022 Tahoma High School marching bandddd!”

 The crowd screams.

 After enough shuffling on the field, everyone goes silent and the band stands like statues. 

And all of a sudden the first chord is hit and the show begins with yet another uproar from the crowd. 

Who would’ve thought the school marching band would become the highlight of the football game? 

For many marching band students, halftime is the most essential part of the game, as it’s their time to shine. 

“For the most part, it’s a way of life,” Henry Trost, a sophomore at Tahoma, a former marching band participant and current football player shared his opinion on how much time and effort goes into putting on the shows.

Trost only spent one season in the marching band, but immediately became attached to the community and atmosphere.

He did have previous experience in band from years prior, and it helped that he played the clarinet for four years.

Interestingly enough, Trost’s brother was the one who actually inspired him to play an instrument and ultimately join the school marching band. 

“It takes a lot of focus, commitment, and memorization to compete in the marching band,” Trost explains.

 Having to learn challenging music is difficult alone, but doing precise choreography along with it makes memorization and focus key qualities to be a part of the team.

Even though the audition process to make the field team was nerve racking, it was all worth it when each member made lasting memories.

“The Maple Valley Day Parade was definitely my favorite memory,” Trost says. “Parading through the fair just feels so fun. It’s a way cooler experience than school practice and games.” 

Even after transitioning to Varsity football this year, Trost still has a love for marching band. 

Doing both the concert and spring season was his favorite part of freshman year.

Most people would think this sport (yes, marching band is a sport) isn’t very rigorous.

But try standing out in the sun with a heavy instrument in your hands for hours and hours on end. 

For Trost, he doesn’t think practices are too difficult since most of them are at night to relieve the students from the hot midday sun. 

But every practice is worth it when they step out on the field, perform, and hype up the student section at each football game.

And as they become the most essential and favorite part of the game, the marching band proves that you can’t have football without the famous marching band.