The Beat Goes On: The Heartbeat of the Game (Midland Valley High School Band)

The Beat Goes On: The Heartbeat of the Game (Midland Va ... (Added: September 26, 2009)

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The Beat Goes On: The Heartbeat of the Game (Midland Valley High School Band)

The game, the cheerleaders, the fans....they all come out to make our Football Friday Nights a tradition. But, what if there was no music to keep things going...no beat to get the stands rocking? WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe takes a look at the heartbeat of the game, with the Midland Valley High School marching band.

By WJBF Staff
Published: September 26, 2009

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Aiken, SC -- Not all teams play on a field...

Daniel Wayneburkett, Midland Valley High School senior: "It's kind of cheesy to say, but we're all kind of a family, you know?"

Not all plays are made on the 50-yard-line...

T.J. Wright, Midland Valley High School sophomore: “You've got to be really on your game."

A big part of Football Friday Night, gets its start right here...

David Hastings, Midland Valley High School Band Director: “It just wouldn't be a Friday night without the band."

Midland Valley's band has proved, for years, that when it comes to winning, they are at the top.

Wayneburkett: "We're pretty good. You don't want to brag, but we're pretty good."

Hastings: "Several first-place trophies at many marching band contests…”

Wayneburkettt: "We've had the OPA award, which is one of the biggest awards a band can get, I think, for 26 years in a row."

Wright: "It comes from practices, every week, sometimes on weekends…and we really, we really try.”

In the last couple years, the blows of budget cuts have reached the band room. Away games are sometimes rare, since it costs money to get the band on the bus and head down the road.

But despite the hits, the Midland Valley Mustangs continue to march on.

Hastings: “A lot bigger piece of the pie does have to be taken on by band parents, and I think everybody chips in and we learned to raise more money in certain areas, and we learned to tighten our belt in other areas."

Wright: “As long as we keep doing what we've been doing like, we don't let that bother us. When it comes to budget cuts, we still have fundraisers and stuff to help support the band.”

And the band, in turn, supports more than just the team.

Hastings: "The overall program is still there and we still provide this wonderful entertainment for their community and this wonderful entertainment for our kids."

Wright: "Without the band, the football team isn't really that motivated, nobody's playing, you've just got the stands."

Wayneburkett: "The football team...anytime the band's not at the games, they'll complain to us about how we weren't there, you know?”

Wright: "We set the pace, really, the tempo. So, it would just be the stands, without the band."

On Saturday, September 26th, Midland Valley High School will be hosting the 12th Annual Mustang Classic Tournament of Bands, featuring high school bands competing from all over the state. For more information, click here.