Novi Marching Band Falls 'Heels Over Head'

More than 160 students returned to this week for band camp. The Marching Band members gathered from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day to begin preparing for the fall season.

This year's program is called "Heels Over Head," and tells the story of a relationship break up.

The uniformed members of band take on the male persona and try to woo the female persona, played by the color guard.

It's the classic dynamic of a boy pursuing a girl, and the girl pushing away. And this story does not have a happy ending.

Four songs are featured in the show. Part one is the classic "Romeo and Juliet" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, followed by "Fix You" by Coldplay. Third is "The Point of No Return" from the Phantom of the Opera. The fourth part is a medley of music.

Band Director Mark Hourigan said it's still early, but that things are going well so far.

"It should be an exciting fall," he said.

Students, Parents Spend Week at Band Camp

During band camp this week, all of the band members gather for day-long practices.

In the morning, the students go through a visual rehearsal without music and do stretching and conditioning. After lunch, students break out into sections for three hours of practice. Then dinner is served by a group of parent volunteers in the cafeteria. After that, the students put the music and moves together outside on the field in coordination.

This year, an extra three days of camp were tagged on this past week just to practice marching.

Sophomore Jennifer Hepp, 15, plays the trumpet for the band, and says she doesn't mind the long days.

"It's a lot of fun when everyone gets together to work," she said.

Senior and saxophone player Harrison Halley, 17, agreed.

"You meet a lot of cool people," he said. "Pretty much everyone in band is nice."

He said it is especially beneficial for freshmen to join the band because then they get to meet 150 people before school even starts.

Behind the scenes, hundreds of parents and other Band Boosters volunteers help make the camp run smoothly. They prepare dinner, sew flags for the color guard, design sets and do construction.

Some even take vacation time from their jobs to help, said volunteer Karen Cameron. 

Camp comes to a close with a dance for the students on Friday night, followed by a performance for the parents on Saturday afternoon.

Then the season begins, and the band will practice for three hours two days a week. In addition to performing at football games, the band heads to competitions nearly every Saturday through November.