Medical Lake marching band to play on WSU home turf

The Medical Lake High School marching band is off to a busy start as they performed during halftime of last Friday's Medical Lake football game at home against the Orofino Maniacs.

The band is getting ready for their first big performance this Saturday, where they will play alongside 2-3 other high schools and the Washington State University marching band during halftime at the WSU football home game.

According to Medical Lake High School band director Craig Johnson, the band met the WSU band director, Troy Bennefield, at the Spokane Band Festival last May.

Bennefield invited the band to WSU's first concert band festival and then to perform at the Cougar game.

Johnson said this is the first time a college has asked the marching band to perform at a football game.

"The director has already sent us the music," Johnson said.

The band will practice the music themselves this week. When they arrive in Pullman, they'll come together with the other groups for a rehearsal.

"(WSU is) going to lead us onto the field," Johnson said. "It's a real simple formation. They're not going to have us do a bunch of marching band maneuvers in one day, there's no way we would have them down."

Before the start of the school year, students attended summer band camp to work on marching skills and prepare for the halftime show.

"It's a good bonding experience for the students, especially the freshmen," Johnson said. "It was a good chance for them to get to know the upperclassmen and form some good relationships before the year starts."

The band has 58 members with 20 freshmen. Some of the returning students to the group include senior clarinet player Stephanie Burgess and senior percussionist Kris Isherwood, both of whom placed in regional and state band competitions last year.

In addition to performing at the WSU game, the band will play during halftime of the Eastern Washington vs. Idaho State football game, at EWU, Oct. 4.

"This is amazing to have two colleges ask us to play in the same year," Johnson said. "We get to play on the red turf with Eastern's band."

For Johnson and his students, it's an honor to play at both universities.

"I told the kids if they worked hard it would pay off and it has," Johnson said. "Since the students have worked so hard these last couple of years, they're getting recognition and are being asked to do more things."

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].