Cold weather, leaves falling, frost in the air… all of these things are significant timestamps to high schoolers. They mean the end of the fall sports season, the transition of classes from introductory to difficult, and the impending panic of college application season rising for our seniors as due dates draw near. For many, it is the end of an era. To Middleton High School’s music students, it means the end of the 2023-2024 Marching Band Season.
On Oct. 14, Middleton High School’s (MHS) marching band, along with color guard, traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to participate in WSMA’s (Wisconsin School Music Association) State Marching Band Championship. There, Middleton competed alongside over 30 Wisconsin school marching bands in an attempt to earn the championship trophy.
Each school is categorized based on the size of their marching band ranging from Class A, the smallest, to Class Quad A, the largest; each school only competes with schools of similar sizes. Middleton, placed in Class Quad A, competed against seven other schools: Fond du Lac High School, Chippewa Falls High School, Hamilton (Sussex) High School, Mukwonago High School, Germantown High School, Franklin High School and Oak Creek High School. Oak Creek High School has an ongoing rivalry with Middleton for first place.
This marching season, Middleton has participated in several smaller competitions: Waukesha South, where they placed third overall with a Caption Award (a smaller award for more specific skills) for the best color guard, and Sauk Prairie, where they placed first overall with Caption Awards for best percussion and, once again, best color guard. Based on these placements, Middleton was projected to place high in the state competition.
The theme for this year’s marching band show was titled “Into The Night.” The set included a large lunar cycle scene made of circular wooden pallets, painted like moons, standing upright behind the band. The music choice was based on the band’s celestial theme: “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven, “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss, “The Enemy God and the Dance of the Spirits of Darkness” by Sergei Prokofiev, “Harmonium: Wild Nights” by John Adams, and “Lullaby” by Billy Joel.
The color guard showcased sparkling silver outfits, purple, blue, and gold flags, black and white fans and an impressive inflatable moon prop. The band’s exemplary performance earned them fourth place out of eight schools, along with the Caption Award for the best color guard.
After the performance, Middleton’s band met in a circle behind the stadium to play “Salvation,” a song that has become a tradition to conclude the competition season and say goodbye to that year’s seniors. Drum majors Charlotte Kosek, Jackie Lanear and Ben Zumbrunnen each had many words of praise, as well as tears, to share with the rest of the band.
The largest flattery came from band director Eric Rothacker who stated, “[Into The Night] was one of the best shows we’ve ever done.”
