Something magical happens each fall as a high school band director.

It’s one of the few times I get to be completely creative with my students. I spend the majority of the school year preparing them to perform songs created by others. The expectation is that we perform the notes exactly as on the page the way the composer intended. We sit on a stage in our Sunday best to perform for the crowd.

Marching band is a whole different animal.

Not only can I tweak the music to suit halftime or the occasion, but I also get to design all the forms, steps and pictures to go along with it. In fact, having a creatively unique attitude is encouraged. The more exciting, innovative and distinctive for your school, the better.

What makes my students so special is that they take those concepts from me, add some notes, rhythms and movements and create magic across 100 yards every Friday night. What makes each Ashland County marching band so special is that it has its own individual traditions, uniforms, style and creativity that make it unique.

There is no comparison in the excellence each band earns in its own right.

We’re there for the students, the community and each other. I get excited to shake hands with different directors each week at the games and learn about the shows they’ve prepared for the crowd. I also can’t wait to share the creative musical feast we’ve cooked up over the summer with anyone willing to watch and listen.

Our numerous Ashland area marching bands are one big extended family.

This summer we created a marching band of community members to perform in Ashland’s America 250 Parade. Over a dozen high schools representing performers ranging in ages from 14, to retired band “kids” in their 80’s volunteered to be a part of the band. They all came back in August to do it again and celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Ashland County Fair.

Band students just love to play their instruments no matter the occasion. It’s a talent and skill that people can enjoy their entire lives.

In late September, we will all meet to help open the Ashland County Fair. Sept. 20 celebrates the 64th annual Parade of Bands.

This concert at the fairgrounds includes high school bands from Ashland, Crestview, Hillsdale, Loudonville, Mapleton, Plymouth and Ashland University. The grand stand will be packed as the Grammy-winning conductor of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Michael Repper, leads a mass band of nearly 400 students in the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Each school will march to center stage and perform a 10-minute show for the crowd. The attendees will include proud parents, friends, community members and alumni that come to watch the school they love perform at their very best. What’s even more impressive is that the crowd will stay till the end, even if the band they came for finished five bands earlier.

The crowd is excited to celebrate each group’s accomplishments. Not to rank them, but to celebrate their individuality. 

I attended my first Ashland County Fair Parade of Bands in the 90’s as a member of the AU band and was immediately amazed that hundreds of Ashlanders would watch each and every band perform. They love how special and unique each group is. Fans appreciate that each band has its own identity and style.

There’s a special place in their heart for the band they once played in or for the district they live in or for the performer they came to see. It’s not a competition though. There are no winners. There are no losers. Simon Cowell is not waiting in the wings to place a big “X” over their school. They perform for the sake of giving others the same joy they feel when they play. The win is in the accomplishment.

Something magical happens each fall as a high school band director.

I get the privilege of watching my students take a concept from dots on a paper to the Friday night lights. I am fortunate to collaborate with other county band directors to ensure we all have the resources and support we need and the successes each student deserves.

Our school boards, administrations, staff and communities celebrate the accomplishments of each marching band’s hard work. The Ashland County marching bands are unique, wonderful creations that help make Friday nights entertaining and full of school spirit.

I’m blessed to call Ashland County my home and grateful to continue the tradition of making halftime band time.     

Marty Kral

Director of bands at Ashland High School