AHS Marching Band Ready for Halftime

By Jonathan Weaver

Armstrong football players may have their season debut versus Karns City this Friday night, but so does the Armstrong Senior High Marching Band – who also practiced in the hot sun and pouring rain this summer.

At halftime, audiences will be able to rock to the hits from Queen, Fall Out Boy and Skillet this Fall, Band Director Jason Venesky said.

In his 21st season as a band director, Venesky said the close-to-100 musicians and colorguard dancers selected music for this year’s performance by the end of the school year.

“The kids had a lot of say in the music this year. They wanted music that they recognized and the audience would recognize, so I narrowed their choices down to about six or seven tunes that would be appropriate for us,” Venesky said.

Local residents will also see the senior high band at the Armstrong County Marching Band Festival in Leechburg next month and parades in Kittanning and Ford City.

“The show essentially is learned right now. Now, it’s just mastering it as best we can,” Venesky said.

Leading that effort on the field is Drum Major Taylor Mercatell – who will be a junior starting Wednesday.

Mercatell, a former drum major for Kittanning Junior High’s marching band, said he almost cried when notified he would be the drum major this Fall. Mercatell, along with two other candidates, conducted the Star-Spangled Banner, created a routine for the school’s alma mater and wrote an essay.

“I like teaching people, seeing them learn, watch them make a drill by themselves and encourage them, have them learn from what they were taught,” Mercatell said. “I don’t like to yell at everyone to get their attention – I like them to notice that I want to tell them something. I’ll look like I’m trying to tell them something and let them get quiet on their own – that way they learn.”

Mercatell hopes to follow-up these experiences by studying education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania – a school two of his former classmates attend.

During concert season, Mercatell will return to playing the alto saxophone.

A candidate for drum major, Jesse Schons (a percussionist) will assist Mercatell during pre-game and stand routines.

Senior Drum Captain Nick Griffin, a percussionist since 10th grade at Kittanning Senior High, said the Queen medley routine was the hardest for the drumline – a group mainly made up of freshman students - to learn, but is the most fun to play.

“It’s the most exciting because of how much we had to work on it and how it’s nice to see it come together,” Griffin said.

Griffin knew the classic hits before the song was selected for this year’s show but had “no idea” how hard they would be to perform.

Colorguard Captain Hannah Hoffman has a different favorite: the band’s second song “Light `Em Up” by Fall Out Boy.

Hoffman (the lone colorguard senior) was part of the Kittanning Senior High dance team and now leads the group of 14 colorguard. She also had to create a routine and teach it to the guard as part of her tryout.

“With the guard, you have to be a leader but you also have to be a friend,” Hoffman said. “Everyone in the guard is very loving, but they don’t listen if you’re extremely authoritative.”

Hoffman took dance lessons at Frances Dance Club since she was three years old. Seven-year-old sister, Hallie, is also a dancer.

Hoffman also plays the flute in the concert band.

Venesky praised all colorguard and musicians for their strong work ethic this Summer.