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The “Boy in the Striped Pajamas” in marching band uniforms.
That’s what spectators can expect during Morton High School football games half-time shows and various band competitions this year.
The 2010 MHS Marching Band’s performances are inspired by the popular novel written by John Boyne.
“We’re doing a pretty powerful show this year,” said Morton’s marching band director of 10 years, Jeff Neavor. “We’re telling a story. It’s something that is multi-layered educationally.”
He added that the marching band has performed a show with a “cross-curricular platform” in the past, when they read Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and based their performances on the story.
For this season’s show, students watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and were encouraged to read the book.
“I’m just hopeful our show this year can make people think about what happened 65 years ago with the Holocaust and make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Neavor said. “This gives us a chance to do something beyond a football half-time show.”
The marching band began rehearsing the first week of July. Their season is dotted with home football game performances and seven competitions.
On Monday, MHS hosted the Mid-Illini Marching Festival, a casual showcase, where band members forgo uniforms for matching T-shirts and are allotted 10 minutes of performance time.
Just two days before the relaxed festival, the MHS Marching Band, in uniform and with a less laid-back approach, won the 4A field show competition at the Washington Community High School Marching Panther Invitational.
“After rehearsing for six hours, they played a pretty solid show,” Neavor said. “There were some first-show jitters, but they were really happy with their performance. They had a good performance and felt really good about where they were at the end of the day. It was really nice to play for the local bands after a year of not competing locally.”
Last year, the marching band competed in seven shows hosted in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. This season, Neavor said they will be competing closer to home.
“This year, grandma and grandpa will have a better chance to see the show,” he added.
The MHS Marching Band will compete this year at Metamora, the University of Illinois and Illinois State University to name a few.
Under Neavor’s direction, the marching band has won the Illinois State Class 2A Championship from 2005 to 2009, were 2008 Bands of America St. Louis Super-Regional Finalists and performed in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, DC.
While Neavor said he is proud of the band’s accomplishments and hopeful for another successful season, winning is not all that matters.
“It’s never about a trophy,” he said. “It’s about seeing the kids put on a performance they’re really proud of and the feeling that they get when they know they’ve done something great.”
For more information, visit mortonbands.org.
The “Boy in the Striped Pajamas” in marching band uniforms.
That’s what spectators can expect during Morton High School football games half-time shows and various band competitions this year.
The 2010 MHS Marching Band’s performances are inspired by the popular novel written by John Boyne.
“We’re doing a pretty powerful show this year,” said Morton’s marching band director of 10 years, Jeff Neavor. “We’re telling a story. It’s something that is multi-layered educationally.”
He added that the marching band has performed a show with a “cross-curricular platform” in the past, when they read Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and based their performances on the story.
For this season’s show, students watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and were encouraged to read the book.
“I’m just hopeful our show this year can make people think about what happened 65 years ago with the Holocaust and make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Neavor said. “This gives us a chance to do something beyond a football half-time show.”
The marching band began rehearsing the first week of July. Their season is dotted with home football game performances and seven competitions.
On Monday, MHS hosted the Mid-Illini Marching Festival, a casual showcase, where band members forgo uniforms for matching T-shirts and are allotted 10 minutes of performance time.
Just two days before the relaxed festival, the MHS Marching Band, in uniform and with a less laid-back approach, won the 4A field show competition at the Washington Community High School Marching Panther Invitational.
“After rehearsing for six hours, they played a pretty solid show,” Neavor said. “There were some first-show jitters, but they were really happy with their performance. They had a good performance and felt really good about where they were at the end of the day. It was really nice to play for the local bands after a year of not competing locally.”
Last year, the marching band competed in seven shows hosted in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. This season, Neavor said they will be competing closer to home.
“This year, grandma and grandpa will have a better chance to see the show,” he added.
The MHS Marching Band will compete this year at Metamora, the University of Illinois and Illinois State University to name a few.
Under Neavor’s direction, the marching band has won the Illinois State Class 2A Championship from 2005 to 2009, were 2008 Bands of America St. Louis Super-Regional Finalists and performed in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, DC.
While Neavor said he is proud of the band’s accomplishments and hopeful for another successful season, winning is not all that matters.
“It’s never about a trophy,” he said. “It’s about seeing the kids put on a performance they’re really proud of and the feeling that they get when they know they’ve done something great.”
For more information, visit mortonbands.org.
