Band of the Week: St. Marys High School

ST. MARYS, W.Va. (WTAP) - St. Marys is one of many small area marching bands that is doing more with less.

The group entertains with a Disney-themed halftime show.

PATRICK NORTON/ST. MARYS BAND DIRECTOR:

“This year is looking up and the kids are much more energetic,” says band director, Patrick Norton. “Even though we’re down in size, the kids that we do have are great ones. And they’re doing a great job.”

The St. Marys marching band is performing and preparing for a trip to “the happiest place on earth” this Spring.

The preparation is inspiring their half time performance, “A Disney Fantasmic.”

“It’s just kind of light-hearted, it’s fun. We just want to have a lot of fun with it,” says field commander, Natalie Malone.

THESE SONGS ARE INFLUENCED BY DISNEY CLASSIC FILMS.

From the musically-driven “Fantasia,” to the fan favorites including the princesses. Such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid.”

“So, the first song, it’s kind of an introduction to the whole show. It’s preppy, it’s fun,” says Malone. “Our second song is our Disney princess medley where you heard Beauty and the Beast and you’ll hear a little bit of the Little Mermaid in there. And it’s really beautiful and slow. And the third song, it’s really fast-paced, it’s fun, it’s exciting. Night on Bald Mountain is featured and it gets the crowd going.”

Norton, does say that the smaller band size is a hurdle for this performance.

The band’s 13 members all play different instruments.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the individual players,” says Norton. “Because there’s not two or three kids playing the same thing that they’re playing. Pretty much every kid is playing their own individual line and the music is different from the person next to them.”

The small band size does bring them closer together.

“It means a lot to us. Everyone in the band currently, we are putting our heart and soul into everything. Because times have been hard lately, but we are rocking it,” says Malone. “And we are going to do a great job. And I have so much love for these kids, and I am proud to be called their field commander.”

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