On May 10, students performed professionally written pieces at the stadium. A couple hundred students and their loved ones gathered to share the music pieces and enjoy the evening. The Band Hero project started back in March and every band student was required to each write a piece about a hero. The piece could be inspired by a hero in the student’s life, a heroic event, or qualities that the student sees in their hero. Each student was able to express their feelings through a piece and was provided a timeline to help them to stay on track. The hero they were inspired by was then invited by the student to enjoy the concert. Director of Bands Ms. Erica Gregory supervised the project. She had started it after conversing with colleagues. 

“Over the summer, through various professional development webinars, we talked about redefining what our focus would be for the year and how to make the most impact in the community,”  Ms. Gregory said in an email. “A friend had done something similar, so I got the information and started planning.” 

Participants in the project were excited to write about their heroes. Although the pieces could have taken long to write, some took as long as an hour to write. Students jumped at the idea to be able to express admiration for their heroes. 

“It didn’t take me long to write my piece because from the moment I heard hero, I knew I was going to write about my dad,” Junior Lillian Templeton said in an email.

The most sentimental piece of the night was for the late Aspen Deke, a former member of the band. When the piece was played, students remembered her and teared at the sentiment the piece had carried.

“I feel like it was very impactful,” Junior Arianna Keneally said in an email. “It had me crying and a few other band members as well.” 

A total of 11 pieces were played. Every band did a combined piece to honor Aspen Deke, and each band played three pieces.