Band kids are always busy with something. You’ve probably heard of the school’s bands, maybe you’ve even seen them play at the football games or during a rally or concert. This year, the school’s instrumental music department has been extremely busy. We’ve juggled playing at SSU, hosting the Analy Band Wagon’s Fall Music Festival, mentoring at the Cazadero Music Jumpstart Camp, playing at multiple home football games, being a part of the Drama Club’s Sherlock Holmes performance, preparing for performances in and out of school, and balancing our academic and social lives. The cherry on top of this busy schedule was the opportunity the concert and symphonic bands had to go perform during the half time show at the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns on November 4th, 2025. It was a lot of work to get to that exceptional performance on that basketball court. As a consequence it was a lot of work for me to figure out how to capture this incredible experience on a piece of paper. But I don’t care how we got here, and the hard work we put in was definitely worth it. This experience meant a lot to us, and I am honored to share this story with you.
To get to that moment on the court a lot of work went on both in and out of the band room. While the musicians were auditioning for the performance in flashy but hot and tight marching uniforms, the Analy Band Wagon put in a lot of work to organize this experience. They worked hard to sell tickets, communicate with the Chase Center, and communicate with parents and students to ensure that the experience would be a success. I speak for all the participants of this trip when I say thank you to the Analy Band Wagon and the parents for making this trip possible.
Even if you are like me and don’t follow basketball, you would still have had such a fun time at the Chase Center. There were flashing lights, music playing, and a spirited atmosphere with Warrior fans decked out in blue and gold, cheering “WAAARRIOOORS” followed by an echo of more fans cheering “WAAARRIOOORS”. The positive culture hyped us up for both the game and the performance. We found our seats and enjoyed the pre-game entertainment with food, drinks, the announcers, the cheerleaders, and watching the opposing team warm up. When the Golden State Warriors ran out, the energy got turned up from a 10 to an 11. The game was extremely fun to watch even if you don’t understand the rules of basketball.
We enjoyed the first two quarters of the game before all congregating together at portal 58 to head down to where the performers get ready to perform. We got to watch the Golden State Warriors Dance Company rehearse while setting up our instruments and getting our uniforms together. The ushers and the other performers were extremely kind. Their supportive attitude definitely helped ease our nerves. The best part about this moment was being able to see the Phoenix Suns walk off the court when the second half ended, walking less than six feet away from where we were lined up waiting. “Seeing everyone’s faces when the other team’s players came off the court for halftime was so funny,” 11th grader and Drum-Major Catherine Miles explained when asked about the experience. “Those players are so tall”.
The performance was definitely the best part of the night though. We lined up on the court, and were welcomed with hundreds of people cheering for us. We played a combination of two common pieces we play during the football games. We played The Eye of the Tiger, arranged by Victor López. We then transitioned to playing Iron Man, arranged by Dave Henning. We worked extremely hard on making these pieces perfect for the performance, and now we were finally watching our hard work pay off. The performance flew by, and everyone was extremely focused. We finished the songs and were greeted with more applause and cheers. We left the court with ushers, announcers, and other performers congratulating us. We felt extremely proud of ourselves at that moment.
Everyone thought the trip was a success, and are hoping it’s not the last. 10th grader and Saxophone player Katie Cogliando says “I’d love to do a trip like this again”. Catherine Miles agrees saying, “Heck yes. Sign me up for the next one.” I think the reason this experience was so successful was everyone’s commitment to preparing for this. We worked hard, while also having positive, upbeat energy throughout the entire experience. It felt like we were one big team. Another thing that made this trip so special was the amount of Analy staff that came and supported us. Mrs. Siebert was an extremely helpful and supportive chaperone that came with us on the trip. And many band members were extremely excited to see Mrs. McClelland and other staff members wandering the chase center, enjoying the game, and supporting their band. A big thank you to the whole school, both members who attended the game and those who supported back at home. Your love for the band and support throughout this experience means the world to us. We were hopeful this experience would represent Analy in a positive way as well as show teachers and classmates back at school how passionate and talented the musicians and artists in the school are. “How many people at Analy can say they’ve played a halftime show for a famous NBA team?” Catherine Miles exclaims. “Band kids are fire”.
