Band directors Timothy Orton and Meagan Spatz spent months considering the show’s theme, instrumentation and physical demands. They had first heard its music several years earlier but waited until it suited the band’s membership and abilities.
“We loved the music and thought the kids would as well, so we put it in our back pockets for another year,” Spatz said.
To prepare for the demands of marching, students completed two workouts a week before summer band camp, individually and with their sections. The training used a fitness program developed for marching musicians by Forte Athletics.
The directors also consulted Joseph Mudrak, the high school’s educational technology specialist, about coding and app development. He suggested treating the band as the app and the audience as the user.
That idea shaped the show’s visual and sound effects, including a cursor, automated-system sounds and a prop with reception bars that switch on and off. Band members add movements and gestures inspired by the simulation game The Sims.
The performance reflects the program’s broader effort to strengthen students’ marching skills alongside their musicianship.
Source: David Brighouse
