The Marching 110 will make its home debut Saturday alongside local high school bands
The halftime field will be packed with not only the Marching 110’s signature energy, music and flair –– but the backing of 18 bands.
Ohio University’s Marching 110 will take the field alone Saturday to perform a medley of Justin Timberlake songs during halftime. For the final song of the night, MKTO’s “Classic,” the Marching 110 will play alongside 18 local high schools bands that are participating in Ohio University’s annual Band Day.
The Marching 110 will perform its full halftime show, including Timberlake’s hits “Mirrors” and “Rock Your Body,” as well as ‘N Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye.”
Band Day allows high school students to see marching band from a college perspective. Their reaction to the Marching 110 is always a sight to see, said Josh Boyer, the Marching 110’s assistant band director.
“The OU students are fantastic,” Boyer said. “They are very supportive of the band but also the high school students. It’s a great reaction our students give.”
Last year’s Band Day included the participation of 21 high schools across Ohio, on of the largest turnouts in recent memory. The performance included Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark.”
The high school bands arrive at approximately noon on Saturday and have the opportunity to watch the Marching 110 rehearse. The students also learn where they will be staged on the field and rehearse as a group of approximately 1,200, Boyer said.
Having participated in Band Day twice as a high school student, Krista Cominsky, a Marching 110 trombone player and sophomore studying restaurant, hotel and tourism, said she enjoys seeing high school students in the same position she once was.
“The first time (I participated in Band Day), it was really cool because I never saw the Marching 110 before,” Cominsky said. “That was basically the day I decided I wanted to join the Marching 110.”
Kellsie Brown, a trumpeter and freshman studying music therapy, is participating in her first Band Day as part of the Marching 110. She performed twice as a high school student and will be joined on the field this year by her younger sister.
She said it’s a surreal experience knowing she once stood alongside her high school band at Band Day but is now marching in unison with the Marching 110.
For many high school bands participating, Band Day offers an opportunity to see the Marching 110 in action and visit with alumni who are now part of the band. Many of the high school bands stay after the game for traditional post-game performances, Boyer said.
Lauren Domenick, Lakewood High School’s Lancer Marching Band director, will be on hand at Peden Stadium on Saturday. After participating in several Band Days in the past, she said many of her students are eager to return to the Athens campus. Others, she said, will be seeing a college campus for the first time.
“It’s always fun to see which piece they’re going to arrange for us each year,” Domenick said. “This year, we’re performing ‘Classic’ by MKTO, and all the kids are really excited. They like playing songs they know all the words to.”
eb823313@ohio.edu
