Cole Hamilton, a recent graduate of FHS, is a freshman at Ohio University. He was a member of the marching band from 2020-2023 and had many leadership roles, such as Squad Leader, Section Leader, and Band President. He played both the alto and baritone saxophone.
Watching the band when he was little, with the addition of his older brother being in the program, inspired Hamilton to join the band. He added that it was one of the most fun things he’s done in his life.
“It’s not comparable to any sport or extracurricular in my opinion. You get to play awesome music, learn intricate marching drill that may be tedious but captivates the audience, learn dance breaks that have other bands and audience members cheering as loud as they can, parade past your fans dancing as hard as you can while shouting at the top of your lungs, and travel to places where people don’t even know you but recognize the work you put in and love what you do.”
Hamilton added that it never got boring or was something he didn’t look forward to.
Hamilton’s favorite band memory was a trip in 2022 to Athens for Ohio University Band Day. The band watched the Marching 110 practice and later performed with them and other high school bands during halftime at the football game. It was his first time seeing a college marching band in person and made him realize he wanted to be in that marching band after high school.
When asked about why he came back for the Alumni Night back in October, he talked about his passion for the program.
“I love this program so much, not to mention my plans on working with it in the future. When I saw the email for an alumni night and that I had the day available, it really was a no-brainer that I would be coming back.”
His favorite part of the night was seeing so many generations of alumni and getting to see and play with his section again.
His advice for current and future band members is to have fun and have pride in the program.
“Time flies and eventually those 4 years will be gone and only be memories. Make the most of everything: every football game, festival, parade, varsity show, trip, and every extra performance.”
Hamilton advises, “Learn to be okay with making mistakes and striving to be better. And remember that you have a huge community and group of people that love YOU and YOUR marching band, and greatly enjoy supporting you and watching you.”
