Marching band, to some, may seem like a lot of work, staying after school three days a week and having to go to football games and competitions, but in the end it’s worth the time investment. The John R. Lewis Marching Band is a fun and great way to pursue a musical career, but it’s also a great way to bond with others and meet new friends.

Anyone can join marching band–it doesn’t matter if you’re not a band student or if you’re in orchestra. Sophomore Samira Ahmed is a violinist in Lewis’ orchestra but percussionist in Marching band. “I joined marching band as someone who has been in orchestra for seven years because I wanted to try other instruments other than my violin,” Ahmed said.

It doesn’t really matter if you started to play a musical instrument or not. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a senior and want to do marching band; it’s never too late to join. If you’re a student in concert band, you don’t have to join concert band, but it’s an option. But if you’re in Wind ensemble, a higher-level band class, then it’s required as a part of your grade.

Being in marching band means you’ll be performing to cheer on the Lancers during Lewis’s Spirit Blast, pep rallies, and throughout football games. But marching band also means you’ll be competing against other bands, ultimately performing at Patriot High School for state assessment at the end of the season.

The first step to joining marching band involves learning how to march correctly. Over the summer there is band camp that you will attend. Band camp involves learning the correct style and posture to march and how to correctly hold your instrument. Band camp also teaches you how to play the show music. You will meet new students who will serve as mentors, such as alumni who graduated before you came to high school. 

Lewis High School’s Marching Band is led by band director Kelly May Magee. Marching band students can work towards leadership positions. Some of these leadership positions are served by drum majors, (who conduct the band) seniors Daniel Trejo and Caden Mcleary, woodwind captain, junior Leo Swengros, and brass captain, junior Dominic Tran. 

Being drum major comes with many responsibilities: they are basically in charge of the whole band and have to conduct the band with the right tempo. They must adjust this tempo if the band is speeding up or slowing down.

Secondly, as Trejo identifies, there’s also the challenge of dealing with physical exhaustion. “A big challenge I’ve dealt with this year is being tired. This may seem like a very little thing as everyone gets tired. As drum major, this is a very difficult challenge as the energy I give is the energy the band will give, and without the right energy and motivation, rehearsals can end up being bad,” Trejo said.

Mcleary suggested the 2025-2026 show music and, with votes from the whole band, selected the Lancer’s 2025-2026 show. “I wanted to play an iconic show for my senior year. I saw a marching show on YouTube that was John Wick-themed. So I started looking for franchises of that nature with recognizable songs that also had marching arrangements available,” Mcleary said.

Mcleary found “Mission: Impossible, Skyfall” and “Indiana Jones.” The Lancers’ show, Secret Agents & Sacred Relics, features the songs, “Mission: Impossible, Skyfall” by Adele but performed with a solo from Mellophonist Dominic Tran. “At first I felt nervous about my solo, but I was a lot more confident after lots of practice. I wasn’t expecting to have a solo for the entire second song though–it was a lot of work! In the end, it definitely wasn’t a perfect solo, but I tried my best to improve it,” Tran said.

The size of The John R. Lewis Marching Band varies from year to year. Sometimes it’s smaller than previous years due to no new marchers, or it’s bigger with new marchers and returning ones. During competitions, size matters. The bigger your band is, the more requirements you’d have for your show, more visuals, props, challenging songs.

This year, Lewis High School Marching Band has competed at Colgan High School (September 20), North Stafford Invitational (September 27), and Stafford Showcase (October 11) against other bands in the county and beyond. 

Mcleary feels a sense in pride that comes at the start of a challenging competition and through the praise at the end. “Being able to receive our awards after competitions is an honor, and being specifically announced before the show is a satisfying testament to the accomplishment that [marching band] is,” Mcleary said.

Marching band is worth it in many ways. It may be awkward or feel out of place for the new marching band student, but it’s also a learning experience.

Sophomore Sol Bran Colato plays sousaphone and has noticed her own growth as a first-year marcher. “It gets better as you get further and further into marching season. You get used to everything and you can really feel yourself improving,” Bran Colato said.

Swengros, clarinet player, is in his is third year in marching band. “I started as a freshman and loved it ever since,” Swengros said.

If anyone wants to try out an instrument, make new friends, new memories or just there for the experience, John R. Lewis Marching Band may be for you.

Writer Megan Thai is a member of John R. Lewis High School’s Marching Band.