By any measure you choose, the marching band show slated this Saturday at Leo Buckley Stadium is the biggest, loudest, most spirited in town.
The name says it all.
Spirit Spectacular, now in its 46th year, steps off at 7 p.m. Saturday, September 21.
The annual Killeen ISD marching band showcase just gets more spectacular.
For the second year, Spirit Spectacular includes all five KISD high school bands with color guards and dance teams, as well as the district’s middle school bands, which this year is 12 bands.
The show begins with the high school bands taking turns performing their competition shows, followed by a middle school band feature and ending with a combined middle school and high school band grand finale of 1,100 student musicians.
Last year’s grand finale featured the Jackson Five song, “I Want You Back.”
Ellison Drum Major, junior Jonathan Dominguez led that enormous, combined band.
“It was a lot of pressure,” he said following last year’s performance. “I think we all came together and had a nice big sound. I think it helps show (middle school band students) what is to come for them if they stay in band. It helps get them excited and committed to band.”
The Ellison High School Screaming Eagle Band is the longtime host of Spirit Spectacular. Band Director Erik Reynolds described another new feature for this year’s edition.
A representative of each high school band is featured in a profile video to be shown during the event Saturday on the scoreboard screen.
The theme of the night is “Yes, you can,” and the band member features illustrate that idea based on the hard-working, multi-talented students featured in the videos.
“This year the focus is to not just highlight the performances, but some of the individual students as well,” said Reynolds, “so the tagline is ‘Yes, you can,’ our students who are not just excelling in band, but in academics or athletics or somewhere else, they have something else going on.”
Ellison’s third-year band director recalls when he was a high school band student and Spirit Spectacular featured bands from middle schools.
“We’re just expanding on the idea we started last year, which is really back how Spirit Spectacular started back in 1978.”
The marching band exhibition done outside of a football game and without adjudication is a way to highlight the bands in a showoff performance at the front end of marching competition season.
Last year’s expanded format allowed middle school students a chance to stand and play on the field alongside high school bands and to get a feel for the higher level of performance they might join in a year or two.
“We have a lot of support from the campuses, the district, parents, kids – we’re looking forward to a fantastic event.”
To purchase tickets: https://www.spiritspectaculartickets.com/
KISD marching band photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720320231608/
KISD 2023 marching band photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720319260932/
