As Homecoming week wraps up, the spotlight turns to one of Lemont High School’s most anticipated traditions: the marching band and color guard performance. Each year, families and community members gather under the Friday night lights to watch the halftime show at the football game. With so many eyes on their performance, the question remains: what goes into preparing for such a big showcase?
This year, senior Luke Rupert is serving as drum major, a leadership role he describes so simply yet appears very intense.
“I go on top of a podium and conduct for the band so that they can keep time,” Rupert said.
The show’s theme, “Still I Climb,” carries a powerful message about persistence and resilience.
“The mountain is a metaphor for being able to climb over things that may be very difficult to accomplish and overcome,” Rupert said. “The challenge is to rise up above. It’s about overcoming challenges.”
The title “Still I Climb” reflects the spirit of perseverance, encouraging students and audience members alike to push forward despite obstacles. For the band, it also represents the hard work and dedication that goes into perfecting each performance.
Preparation for the show began months before the first day of school. Starting in May, the band held short camps at the end of each month, but July was when rehearsals intensified.
“July is the real kicker,” Rupert said. “We go Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm every day. We’d also have activities after, so we’d be at the school until seven.”
That momentum carries into the school year with a demanding weekly schedule. “Monday there’s percussion rehearsal from six to nine. Tuesdays are color guard rehearsals, also from six to nine. Wednesdays are our night rehearsals from six to 9:30, plus we always practice in class,” Rupert said. “Fridays are football games if we have one, and Saturdays are either competitions or Saturday rehearsals, which also go from nine to four.”
Each rehearsal focuses on both musical precision and the physical demands of marching, often requiring students to memorize dozens of movements while keeping their sound strong and unified.
With last year’s performance earning significant recognition, Rupert admitted there is some pressure to live up to expectations. However, he also sees the theme as a source of motivation.
“It’s about rising up together,” Rupert said. “The more we practice, the more confident we feel heading into Homecoming.”
The theme for the LHS band and color guard performance is more than just a creative outlet for music and choreography. Closely related to the title and theme is the mindset that members are entering this season with.
“Despite having a very hard season, we still continue to push and be focused in order for us to do well in competitions and at football games,” Rupert said.
As Rupert mentions, Homecoming is not the only event that students will have to prepare for. Members and band leaders, such as Rupert himself, take a proactive approach to preparing and balancing the stiff competition ahead of them with such a rigorous schedule.
“Our football game performances are actually a great way for us to prepare and to get ready for our competitions, which make us a competitive marching band,” Rupert said.
Following intense preparation leading up to the Homecoming performance, including competitions at Plainfield South and Andrew High School, the marching band is not slowing down.
Upcoming competitions include one at Downers Grove South High School on Saturday, Oct. 4th and, just a week later, what Rupert deems “the biggest one,” the marching band competition at Illinois State University.
Rupert reflects on the commitment that this competition alone entails.
“It’s a 5am call time and if we make finals we don’t get back until one in the
morning the next day,” Rupert said.
Band members will perform their piece in its entirety on campus alongside the LHS color guard, whose choreography is among many of the characteristics that judges take into consideration.
“We get graded on things like music, visuals, color guard, percussion and our choreography,” Rupert said.
A vital part to said criteria is the performance of the Color Guard, whose choreography reflects a plot of motivation from failure in order to, as the name implies, rise up.
Dressed in costumes that resemble that of hikers, color guard members interact with various props throughout, such as a large mountain, and draw parallels between their performance and the soundtrack the band provides.
Specifically during the third movement, the band performs their rendition of hit song
‘Rise Up’ by Andrea Day, to which the color guard’s performance is characterized by a theme of perseverance that continues into the fourth movement.
When it comes to the approaching performances, Rupert shares his apprehensions but ultimately understands how all of the marching band’s efforts will translate into the end of the season.
“There’s going to be a lot of challenges that obstruct our focus but I think overcoming the obstacles that are put in front of us is a great lesson to be learned,” Rupert said.
