Bandarama is a testament to community support
The Bandarama high school band show will return for its 59th year on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Triway High School. Eight Wayne County bands will participate this year in what aims to be one of the biggest shows yet. The event is sponsored by Tri-County Educational Service Center.
Triway High School band director John Puster said the audience for Bandarama fills the home side of the stadium and brings schools together in appreciation for the music. “The bands are seated at the away side of the stadium, and the audience on the other side fills it up. There are surely close to 1,000 people who come out for it.”
Puster said the show represents a sampling of the halftime shows presented by each school band during the football season with “full uniforms and regalia, their best routines and maneuvers, all the bells and whistles.”
Bands this year include Chippewa, Dalton, Smithville, Northwestern, Norwayne, Orrville, Waynedale and Triway.
While Puster said at Triway the students don’t specifically focus on pieces for the Bandarama show, schools choose songs from their planned season of halftime shows to bring to the special Bandarama event. “So that means many of them have been practicing and getting ready since June or July,” he said.
While Bandarama is not meant to be a competition, Puster said a little rivalry or comparison might sneak in. “There’s no getting around a little competitiveness between schools, but it’s very much about school support and cheering each other on. It’s interesting that every school is very unique in their own way of presenting their marching band. Their concepts and style are all unique to them, and each presents themselves in their own way, and they celebrate their differences,” he said.
The show begins with a mass rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” directed by Alexa McCleaster, Chippewa HS band director. The bands will join again at the end for a mass rendition of “America the Beautiful,” directed by Northwestern HS band director Ralph Negro.
Songs to be heard at Bandarama include “Back in Black,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Mamma Mia,” “Sound of Silence,” “High Hopes” and “Yesterday,” among many others.
“It’s a chance for band kids to shine in their own right,” Puster said. “It’s a unique night for musicians, and the evening spotlights all the area high school bands. Many of the band musicians are also in sports activities, so this is a chance for them to do something without keeping score while appreciating the music.”
Fine arts consultant at Tri-County Educational Service Center Michelle Muro said proceeds from Bandarama will be divided among participating bands and used as needed. “It’s not a fundraiser,” she said, “but the money all goes back to the bands.”
Muro said the Wayne County event is the chance for band students to perform locally for a home audience. “They can watch and learn without the pressure of awards. There are other venues for that,” she said.
Muro said the long history of Bandarama is a testament to the community support it receives. “It began in 1960. That it’s still going tells us how strong this tradition is. It has been supported in the community for decades by the public, by musicians and by school administrators,” she said.
Triway School is at 3205 Shreve Road in Wooster.
