Marching band pays tribute to seniors

Linking elbows with his mother and twin sister, senior drum major Avi Arjavalingam was all smiles as he walked down the football field flanked on both sides by the waving flags of the Color Guard on the night of Oct. 2. Band directors Michael Boitz and Jonathan Pwu read Arjavalingam’s favorite memory as the rest of the band, parents and other students cheered from the bleachers.

“The experience of Senior Night was pretty surreal, as four years of band have passed by really quickly,” Arjavalingam said.    

Arjavalingam said his band career has changed him for the better.

“[Band has] helped me grow from being like a meek kid to a more gregarious person,” Arjavalingam said. “I’ll definitely [miss] the band family I’ve known all these years.”

After the Senior Night ceremony finished, the entire band performed its show, “Quest,” for the first time in uniform.

“It was exciting to perform alongside my friends who have been in band with me since fifth grade,” said senior Nihar Agrawal, the leader of the flute section. “Band has been a great source for making memories with people that have become super close. [I’ll miss] the spontaneous outings with my friends, eating way too many Sour Patch Kids and playing games on bus rides.”

For younger band members, this night was one to remember. After playing for three years with the seniors, junior baritone Megan Fung was sad to think about not seeing them after this year.

“[I’m going to miss] joking and messing around with them during band rehearsals and performing with them,” Fung said.

Senior Night was one of the first performances of the season, and the band will go on to perform at the Cupertino Tournament of Bands on Oct. 10. They will be participating in the Foothill Band Review in Pleasanton on Oct. 24 as well as the WBA Dublin Competition on Oct. 31 before heading to march in the Rose Bowl parade on Jan. 1.