Eric Prater, a snare drummer, squad leader, and section for the marching band from 2005-2008, has incredible memories of his high school band career. He marched competition style under both Mr. Miller and Mr Graham.
Prater said that the reason he wanted to join band was his sister, who was a part of the band before him. This made him fall in love with going to competitions and excited for the opportunity to join.
Prater enjoyed the camaraderie within the band.
“Being with the band meant we got to experience the football games differently,” he explained.
Competitions were a strong draw for Prater too, mentioning “Band competitions to me were the best. Long bus rides, hanging out with friends, and then getting to play music… there’s nothing better than that.”
Prater’s favorite memory is the first time the band qualified for state, saying there was no greater satisfaction than getting the rating they needed to qualify.
“We erupted into cheers!”
Prater also earned the Best Marching Award his senior year. This was important to him because he took a lot of pride in his marching.
Prater’s junior year was definitely was an exciting one. While at band camp, the area went under a tornado warning. To keep safe, the guys took shelter in the bathhouse. This was his favorite memory from band camp because they spent their time rocking out to heavy metal.
“Understandably, the chaperones wanted to listen to the weather updates but we figured there was nothing we could do, so if we were going to go out, we wanted to have fun doing it.”
His motivation to come back for alumni night was his love of marching band.
“When I think of high school memories, I always think of marching band first. When I heard about alumni night, there was no question if I wanted to do it. As long as I wasn’t traveling for business that weekend, I was in. Picking up a drum again felt amazing.”
Prater’s favorite part of the night was playing the “Fight Song” again, saying it transported him back to his band times. He also loved reconnecting with past members and befriending a few new people from different generations of the band.
His advice for current or future members is to cherish every moment in the program.
“Embrace the hard. It really is worth it. Marching band is some of the most fun you can have. It will also teach you some discipline and habits that you can carry with you into any future endeavors.”
Prater hopes the Band Boosters continue hosting alumni night every year. Marching band was the only thing he really loved about high school. Since he went to a college without a marching band, those four years in the program were all he got.
“I sincerely appreciate Mr Miller and Mrs Overholt. Mr Miller really shaped me into a great percussionist and I was so excited when he gave me the opportunity to be on snare as a freshman. Mrs O always knew how to pull everything together. She and Mr Miller were a fantastic team and I am so grateful I got to learn from them throughout Jr High and High School.”
