WHS marching band will take audiences on literary adventure with this year’s ‘The Author’

Whitesboro High School’s marching band will be 101 members strong this year as it takes the field at halftime and in area competitions.
Band Director Austin Nestler said that group is fairly evenly split between 9th and 12th graders.

“We do also include a handful of 8th graders as well. Those really stellar players that we think can really contribute to the high school marching band, we have about 10 of those,” Nestler said recently.

That group will be taking audiences on a literary adventure during their performances this season with their show called “The Author.”

“It tells the story of a character who goes from a really busy life and has this great idea to write a book. It goes from inspiration and really exciting (music) and then he starts to get a bit of writer’s block and so he has a little bit of a difficult time getting his thoughts on paper,” Nestler said.

The show progresses through that four-part show. The music slows down a bit with a ballad while the writer struggles to get his thoughts out, and then the music picks back up when the writer is struck with inspiration to finish the writing.
Nestler said the visuals on the field will include a lot of images created with formations of band members including letters that represent the words and a giant quill with feathers.

The flag members will do a lot of writing in the air with their flags.

“There’s also going to be a lot of character playing as we develop our show, including lots of actor portrayals really turning the kids into this big theatrical production,” Nestler said.

The show was designed by Program Coordinator Charles Gardner, who was the director of bands at Whitesboro High a few years ago, and Drill Writer Seth Thomas.

“They tag team here and they come up with these great ideas for us, and we see which ones really start speaking to us and what the kids are really going to take on with,” Nestler said. 

He said the band is blessed to have a lot of support from the community at halftime performances and other outings. 

“We are actually doing great strides with our boosters at the moment, and we are having great success with lots of parents and families joining in wanting to contribute more than just their kid for the program,” Nestler said.

Whitesboro, he said, is really a town that supports the musical arts, not only for its own students, but others as well. The school just hosted its annual Chris Lovejoy Marching Invitational at Whitesboro’s Bearcat Stadium last weekend. He said the competition is growing with 13 bands this year that included some local smaller bands as well as some 4A entries. 

He said while there are a lot of folks who come to see their own students compete, the competition also draws spectators who don’t have students in the shows.

“They hear bands playing and they are like ‘What’s that going on,’” he said. Those audience members get to not only support the Whitesboro band but also see a variety of marching shows.

In addition to halftime shows and parades, the Bearcat band will be taking part in local, area and hopefully state marching competitions this year. October is a busy time for marching bands and their supporters.

But the fun doesn’t stop with marching band.

Nestler said this year the school’s concert band will be taking part in the Texas Music Educators Honors Band competition.

“This program is immensely difficult, including using a piano which we’ve never used before with the Whitesboro band,” Nestler said. In addition, there will be a springtime trip to Disney World. 

He said it can be challenging in a small school with all of the students involved in so many different activities, but the support they get from the district and the parents really helps to keep the band program lively and growing.