And the Band Played On

GRANADA HILLS — As the new school year begins, high school marching bands and color guard units across the San Fernando Valley are gearing up for fall football halftime shows.

At Granada Hills High School, the 240-member Highlanders marching band and color guard strutted its stuff at a recent early morning rehearsal, preparing for its first performance of the season.

“We practiced the whole summer learning how to march,” said Drum Major Robyn Brauer. “It takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but we are really ready to go in and show them what we’ve got.”

The marching band got its chance to do just that on Friday during the football team’s season opener at North Hollywood High School.

In Woodland Hills, the El Camino Real High School Conquistadores practiced intricate footwork synchronized to the theme from the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The 75-member marching band and color guard made its halftime debut Friday at El Camino Real’s home opener against Dorsey High School of Los Angeles.

“The hardest thing to do is to teach the band to march and play at the same time,” said Martha Villar, marching band and color guard instructor. “I have to teach them to divide the song into [sections] to match the marching movements.”

Similarly, the Notre Dame High School Irish Knight Band has been fine-tuning its halftime show on the football field at the Sherman Oaks campus.

“Our cheerleaders, tall flags and band all practice individually, and then we put it all together,” said band director John Combs. “Now it’s time to go out and see if this all works.”

The 90-member band and flag unit prepared traditional Irish folk songs and a Beatles medley for the football team’s first game of the season at Sylmar High School last Friday.