Colony High School holds 15th annual Marching Band Invitational

PALMER — Music programs from three Valley high schools gathered at Colony High School’s Pride Field Thursday night. An enthusiastic crowd filled the bleachers to cheer on the students on the field, not for football but for music.

Palmer High School and Houston Junior Senior High School joined Colony for the 15th annual Marching Band Invitational on, proving there’s a growing community built around the passion to perform.

“Everyone’s here for music,” Palmer Band Director Barbara Carroll said.

The Colony Marching band, a.k.a Thee Northern Sound, performed several songs from the DreamWorks animated film “How to Train Your Dragon.” Houston played songs from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Palmer chose two classic rock songs, “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Africa” for their performance.

“It’s a good night. It’s awesome to see,” CHS Band Director Jamin Burton said.

Colony band members Kassidy Allen and Aaliyah White were happy to have the company, happily holding a big blue sign to cheer on Palmer.

“I think we’re starting a tradition that’s spreading around the Valley,” Allen said.

Colony band members created signs for Houston and Palmer. They rooted for each school during their performances. Allen said they’ve made a lot of progress.

“We’re just happy how much they’ve grown from last year,” Allen said. “They look great.”

White used to attend Houston so she has a lot of friends there. She recalled how warm and welcoming Houston was when they invited Colony to their very first invitational last week.

“They made signs for us too,” White said.

Toward the end of that show, both schools made history by fusing their bands and playing a few songs together. Neither school wanted the music to stop and would have played all night if they could.

“We’re all bonding over something,” White said.

Colony is no longer the only marching band in the Valley. Houston, Palmer and Wasilla all formed a marching band program in recent years. These Valley schools house some of the select few marching bands in the state.

As Palmer’s band got into formation on the Colony football field, Allen said that her instructor, Burton, has been waiting a long time for this. Company at last. She said everyone was just having a blast.

“It’s like a football game, but it’s better. It’s band” Allen said with a laugh.

When Colony’s invitational wrapped up, Carroll hugged a student from Houston, telling her how good she did. Despite the crisp and darkening autumn evening, Carroll’s demeanor was warm and bright as she caught up with familiar faces.

“That was awesome. It was a lot of fun,” Carroll said.

Palmer’s band grew substantially last year, growing from 17 to 70 according to Carroll. She said the apparent interest in the program was very encouraging.

When it was Houston’s turn to take the field, the students literally ran to their positions and eagerly awaited their cue.

“They always have fun… They have this crazy energy about it,” Houston Band Director Samantha Youmans said.

The Houston band grew from last year as well. They’re up to 20 members from eight or so last year, according to Youmans. She said the band’s age group ranges from eighth grade to 12th.

She said her students are very passionate and the program seems to have a life of its own now, with several returning members taking on leadership roles. She said that’s great for the younger kids to learn from and aspire towards.

“It’s like a snowball that won’t stop,” Youmans said with a laugh.

As everyone was getting ready to leave, Youmans approached Burton. He told her, “I love your kids” before they hugged each other.

Burton noted it wasn’t just parents and families of current students who showed up. He said that several Colony marching band alumni from the past showed up to show their support and check on something they helped create.

“… The alumni, they feel some ownership. This is what we started when we were 20 people big and had no equipment and no uniforms,” Burton said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com