Complete with wigs and ‘70s groove, performing arts teachers Desmond Stevens and Kyle Traska revealed the 2019 marching band theme, “Closer to the Heart,”  a famous song by the Canadian rock band Rush. New leadership positions were announced the same night, May 21, in preparation for the next season of marching band.

“I am a big fan of rock ‘n’ roll, and I think it’s a special thing we have here to have guitar classes and band classes and orchestra and choir, so finding some theme that could tie all those together was important,” Traska said. “Plus, I’m a huge fan of Rush and especially Neil Peart, their drummer.”

Compared to the freshman band of 25, the incoming class has already quadrupled in size according to Traska. Despite the 130 students already enrolled, Stevens and Traska hope to grow the program to a quarter of the school population.

Leading up to the big reveal, students’ top guesses for the theme were listed out, ranging from outer space to disco, Elton John to Marvel soundtracks. Traska announced section leaders and captains first, ending with an applause for drum major junior Stephanie Tang and assistant drum major freshman Bia Shok.

“I kind of expected it just because I have had the previous experience, but then I was really, really excited for Bia,” Tang said. “She’s just a [rising] sophomore, and she made assistant drum major, and that is a really big accomplishment… I guess the feeling is less for me and more for my marching band team.”

After much anticipation, hippy-haired Stevens and Traska’s debut music video of “Closer to the Heart” played as students watched with laughter.

“Let’s just say you can expect a really, really cool show next year,” Tang said. “It’s just a lot different than what we’ve done before, and there’s a lot more punch to it.”