As the school year starts, we also come to the start of the football season, which means, Friday night lights, fans, cheerleaders, and the band and its halftime show. After a weird year due to COVID-19, things are getting closer to normal than we have seen, in what feels like a long time. This year, the band is back entirely and able to perform again at both home and away games.

Although last year was not so normal, this year fans are allowed back at full capacity. Mr. Mandell, the Clearfield band director of 33 years, shared his concern with COVID-19, as it still presents a threat to those who attend. With the pandemic effecting the band’s attendance at games, and school, last year, they experienced a rough 36 weeks. With this, Mr. Mandell explained, “A big challenge was dealing with the impact that the A/B schedule had on the performing ensembles… With the A/B schedule students were only rehearsing once every 6 school days. The impact the schedule had on the musical growth in the performing ensembles was tremendous.”

The band’s loss in time being able to practice effected the program. Mr. Mandell explained his choice in music for the future had to be playable by all band members even in the event of quarantine. Quarantine was tricky as it set back the learning of the band for only a few members. Although now they have taken precautions with this and incorporated ways to move past this difficult process. As he delicately put, “The show must go on.”

A Classic Disney theme, with songs including, “Mickey Mouse March,” “Zip-Pa-Dee-Doo-Dah,” “The Bare Necessities/I Wanna Be Like You,” and “It’s A Small World,” was selected for the 2021-2022 football season halftime show. The Disney theme is, “a retrospective of the early Disney film music” as stated by Mr. Mandell. He feels as if the students and audience both enjoy the films and music from Disney, which was the main influence on his selection of songs. This opinion is shared, and proven, none other than by senior drum major, Riley Vaow, as she explains that fans in fact know the songs and even sing along with the band.

Riley also expresses her enjoyment of conducting other songs aside from the halftime show such as, “The Bare Necessities,” “The Jungle Book,” and a shortened version of “Phantom of the Opera.” The band plays several more songs like “Louie, Louie,” “Party Rock Anthem,” and “Smoke on the Water” during the duration of the game, to sustain the exhilarating atmosphere with the fans.