Henrico County Public Schools to host marching band showcase

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A marching band showcase this upcoming week will give Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) student the chance to share their hard work with their peers and benefit a charity.

The annual HCPS Marching Band Showcase will feature performances from all nine high school bands, with donations accepted. Admission goes toward the Henrico Christmas Mother campaign.

Sarah Steele, the band director at Hermitage High School, said the showcase is an opportunity for students to celebrate their peers and the months of work that goes into preparing their routines.

"We just get to support each other and be excited that our bands are doing so much," Steele said. "Competing, and doing all of this work and getting to show it off for people who appreciate what marching band is."

Steele urged those looking to attend to prepare for the competition season -- which she explained began in September -- at the band showcase.

Students began rehearsals in mid-July, with design work for the shows starting even earlier in the spring, according to Steele.

"[There are] a lot of moving pieces," Steele said. "The students work really hard, I have staff members that work really hard, and our band parents work like crazy."

The showcase will also feature a performance from Virginia State University's (VSU) marching band. Steele said seeing VSU perform will give her students ideas about ways to engage with music after high school.

"A lot of those college kids probably are not music majors, and they're just in marching band because they love it," Steele said. "It's their favorite extracurricular, and it's the way they have a community there after high school."

The showcase will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, at Hermitage High School.

Performing schools include:

• Deep Run High School
• Douglas S. Freeman High School
• Glen Allen High School
• Mills E. Godwin High School
• Henrico High School
• Hermitage High School
• Highland Springs High School
• J.R. Tucker High School
• Varina High School

The event is free, but donations are being accepted at the gate for the Henrico Christmas Mother campaign, including canned goods, peanut butter, cereal, crackers, hats, gloves and socks and monetary donations.

For more information, visit the local nonprofit's website.