The marching Highlanders of Anderson High School brought their determination and talent to the Indianapolis State Fair on August 1. They competed against multiple rival bands such as Muncie and Kokomo high schools. In total, the Highlanders competed against 16 other bands. Their success came from multiple weeks of hard work and dedication, leading them to win the title of state champions.
The top bands of Indiana had come to compete. Only a select few advanced to the finals after preliminary competition earlier in the day. Anderson came in second place just behind Muncie High School. For the main contest, they beat out the Spirit of Muncie by less than a single point, with Kokomo High School right behind them. The Highlanders played a few other songs, such as ‘Juke Box Saturday Night’ and ‘At the Hop’, but what made ‘Scotch and Soda’ stand out was its fun and upbeat music. The victory was sealed with a score of 92.85. In second place, the Spirit of Muncie band and guard theme was ‘Love, Loss. Light’ including songs like ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, ‘All of the Lights(Interlude)’ and ‘Lights’ directed by Daniel Sager .
When the second-place name was called, the Highlanders broke out in cheers. The band members, parents, and supporters in the stands were celebrating with joy, applauding the students victory. For Joshua Tungate, the only pianist in the band, the victory was special since it was his first time ever playing for the marching band. “It was a lot of emotion because we put a lot of hard work into this show, and it paid off,” he said. The Band Day championship was Anderson’s eighth and first triumph since 2019. Other times when the Highlanders won were in 1957, 1958, 1959, 1985, 1986 and 2010.
Band director Richard Geisler expressed firm feelings towards his students. “ This is a competition. The competitive part is exciting, fun. You have to make sure that you keep your head on. You take this high energy, highly entertaining show and sell it to the crowd” he said, mainly telling his students to stay focused but also entertain the crowd and have fun.
Behind the trophy and the title, the real prize for Anderson Highschool Marching Band was the unity they got from the months of perseverance and struggle of memorizing the footwork and music. The memories they had together and the little victories they celebrated along the way made the emotion of winning much more meaningful. The Highlanders win at the Indianapolis State Fair was a reminder that with hard work, determination, and teamwork, anything is possible.
