Band Concludes Annual Fundraiser with March-A-Thon Performance

Sophia Sartor, Heritage Section Editor| September 19, 2022

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  • Moving through the choreography in part one of the show, Alicia Kanazawa de Figueiredo ‘25 prepares to play. The band learned new choreography to go along with props during the four-hour rehearsal prior to the performance. Photo courtesy of Randall Metzger, Westwood Warrior Band.

    Randall Metzger
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  • Expressively twirling her flag, Evie Zatopek ‘24 beams up at the audience. This was the color guard’s first performance in their new uniforms. Photo courtesy of Randall Metzger, Westwood Warrior Band.

    Randall Metzger
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  • Playing Land of a Thousand Dances, Aidan Metzger ‘23 performs alongside Canyon Vista and Grisham middle school students. Band members were able to reunite with their buddies from eighth-grade night the previous week. Photo courtesy of Randall Metzger, Westwood Warrior Band.

    Randall Metzger
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  • Reaching for her uniform, Tharini Murugananth ‘25 gets ready to change for the show. The uniform consists of multiple parts, including specific shoes and gloves.

    Sophia Sartor
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Westwood Band’s annual ‘March-A-Thon’ took place at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex (KRAC) on Saturday, Sept. 17. Students performed their show titled Beyond the Brick for family and friends to celebrate the success of one of their biggest fundraisers of the year. 

“March-A-Thon is an opportunity to show everyone who donated what the Westwood Marching Band is all about,” Tharini Murugananth ‘25 said. “It shows how much we put into what we do, so they know how much their donation means to us.”

The band was able to raise more than $85,000 through donations from the community, greatly exceeding their goal of $75,000. The money will go towards music licensing, new instruments, student scholarships, props, transportation costs, and more.

“This fundraiser is really important because the money helps us improve for the upcoming year,” Bernice Phoebe ‘25 said. “It makes the whole experience of performing so much more enjoyable.”

A four-hour rehearsal was held before the performance in order to learn new choreography and start incorporating props into the show. 

“I feel like the rehearsal definitely helped put all the bits and pieces together in terms of how our brick props were used,” Theo Wong ‘26 said.

Before performing Beyond the Brick, Westwood band played Land of a Thousand Dances with seventh and eighth graders from feeder middle schools Grisham and Canyon Vista. The money raised through the March-A-Thon fundraiser will also help support these middle schools’ band programs.

“I had a great time performing with [the middle schoolers],” Phoebe said. “Knowing they are the faces of the future band and them getting the opportunity to get a sneak peek of what we are doing is a great feeling.”

The band is now set up for their season, with parts one through three of their show already put together. Their first competition, Bands of America (BOA) Austin, will take place next Saturday, Sept. 24 at the KRAC.