Justin Friday
Each year Oakdale’s Marching Band creates a compelling musical story, captivating the audience with balance and precision. This year is our first musical inspired show titled “Phantom” showcasing music from the play Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. As this is Oakdale’s first appearance in the US Band circuit, the show brings a lot of ‘first times’ to the marching band. This is the first show to include a fourth part and has more interactive props and solos – from musicians Bryce Krasauskis (Junior), Nick Brennan (Sophomore), and Mary Katherine Meyers (Senior) – than many shows before it.
“This show has better props and better music than the ones I’ve done before,” says junior Patrick McFarland, who plays the trumpet in the marching band.
The Oakdale Band this year is the largest it has ever been, and thus far in the season has been a crowd favorite.
At a previous competition in Martinsburg, WV, the band won the people’s choice award out of over a dozen competing schools.
“We’ve told a story before but this is the first time we’ve told a story that most people already know,” says band director Emily Hill who has painstakingly put her heart and soul into this amazing production. Without a doubt this will be one to remember for years to come.