One of Homestead’s many co-curricular activities is marching band.
The marching band has many different sections, percussion being one of them. During the Friday night football games, the marching band plays and marches across the field to the sounds of the crowd cheering. The percussion section even plays at quarter time, and no other section of the band gets this. During the percussion quarter time performance, it’s their chance to show off their drumming skills and what they have each been working on every day after school.
Oct. 10, the night before Homestead’s 2025 Homecoming, was the homecoming football game. Senior in percussion Isabella Tavera says the Friday before homecoming is one of the most tightly packed days for the band. Tavera also explains why people are more hyped during the homecoming games than during regular Friday night football games.
She said, “People are the most excited for it because it’s a big game and just the whole day. I don’t go home until like 10 on the game day because we have the pep rally and then the parade and then the game, so I mean the student section is just more excited because it’s homecoming. We spend time after school to work on our performances, so seeing it all come together especially at the game is really special.”
Freshman, Broderick Heintz, also in percussion, says that at the homecoming game, “There was a much bigger crowd.. and [because of this] people were more hype.”
He also says “there is a good community in percussion and we’re all friends and not really mad at each other or mean to each other which makes it easier to play with each other… [the crowd] makes me feel appreciated and that I’m doing something right.”
Mr. Charles O’Brien is the band director.
He said, “Homecoming is just a really special and exciting day because there is just a little bit more energy…one of the main purposes of homecoming is to invite our alumni back to our high school; they want to see what the high school looks like today and just recall and reminisce over their time in high school. One of the unifying things that all students have experienced since Homestead’s existence is our fight song and when they hear the band play that fight song, that takes them back to the time that they were in high school, just by hearing a piece of music.”
