By Jen Jones

With marching band season almost over , several local high school students shared why they enjoy band and what being part of it teaches them outside of music .

Ridgewood High School freshman Zoey Alan said this is her third year in band , and she plays the flute . “ I enjoy band because at Ridgewood we are like a big family , and I enjoy learning new music that our band director offers . Marching band has taught me how to work within a group and that it takes a lot of practice and dedication to get the performance that I want .”

Mattalyn Kiser is a sophomore at Ridgewood , and this is her third year . She plays the piano / bass synthesizer in the front ensemble . “ Band has taught me a lot about lasting relationships and how important friendship is . Marching band is one of the best things I ’ m involved with . My favorite performance this year

was state finals . We had so much fun and so much energy because it was the last performance of our season .”

Ridgewood received a superior rating at the state competition .

Emily Maple plays the clarinet in the Ridgewood band . “ I enjoy being able to hang out with my friends in band . I think band has taught me to enjoy every second and appreciate things because the worst feeling is when the season is over . I enjoyed the Meadowbrook competition — we got six trophies and qualified for state — and the state finals the most . In all honesty every competition is great , but these two stuck out to me the most .”

Olivia Crouso has been the field commander for the Coshocton High School marching band for two years and is hoping she will get to do it next year too . She is a junior and has played the flute since she was in fifth grade . “ Band has taught

me how to work with others , to put other people first before myself and to always listen to what other people around you have to say . I enjoy band so much because performing and making music is where I can let all my worries wash away and just have fun with myself and cherish every moment that I get to step up onto the podium and make people smile and have fun with us .”

Coshocton High School senior Brynna Kirkpatrick plays the clarinet . “ Marching band has taught me tons of leadership skills and how to work together because that ’ s what makes a great performance .”

Kirkpatrick said her favorite performance was their senior show during halftime of the Coshocton vs . West Muskingum game . “ I enjoyed playing ‘ Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic ’ by The Police . I love how upbeat this song is , and the crowd enjoyed it a lot , which makes me really proud .”

River View band director Keith Watson said they received an excellent rating at the state competition . “ This band has worked hard this season , especially over the last few weeks . I am proud of their achievement and know they had the best performance of the year in Medina . I feel that they finished well and performed to the best of their abilities .”

Noah Cunningham is a senior at River View and has been in band since fifth grade . He said he enjoys being part of the band because of how close everyone is . “ The band is a family that loves to have fun and work together . It has taught me how important it is to know the people you work with . I am so thankful to have been a part of the music department throughout the years I have spent at River View . I couldn ’ t have asked for a more hardworking and loving family , and I will forever cherish the memories I have made .”

River View sophomore Kasey Croup has been in the band for two years and spent the five years before that being an aide with the band . “ I enjoy seeing hard work pay off , the challenge of band competitions and hanging out with my friends . I ’ ve learned that working hard can be fun when you reach the goals that have been set . My favorite performance was River View ’ s home band contest . It was our first successful performance of the season , and we had great scores , which qualified us for state .”

Caleb Wright also is a sophomore at River View . “ I really liked the Falling Water show that we did this year . I like it because of the good music and because this was my first real performance because of COVID . I have always loved music and being in band . It ’ s like a big family . I ’ m a shy person , and band has taught me how to open up to new people . It ’ s also taught me that the more hard work you put in , the better the outcome will be .”