'We're ready': Westfield prepares to take center stage at state band championships

For most Hoosiers, Saturday began as a typical fall day — a little chilly, some mist, multicolored leaves hanging on to branches for dear life.

But for Westfield High School senior Bree Clark, and thousands of other Indiana high school band members, there was no bigger day. It's been circled on calendars for months — years in the case of scrappy Westfield, which has spent a half-decade clawing its way back to top competition against much larger schools.

This was it.

"I cried this morning," said Clark, saxophone in hand as she joined her 109 fellow bandmates on Westfield's football field to reheard early in the afternoon. "This is the moment as an eighth grader and a freshman that I have only dreamed about. I never would have in a million years thought that we would be where we are now."

The band was preparing for its 9:45 p.m. performance at the Indiana State School Music Association's state marching band finals, which draws thousands of students, parents and spectators annually to Lucas Oil Stadium. Saturday marked the competition's 50th anniversary.

Bree's parents will be there for her last show. Next year, she plans to study psychology at Indiana University, where she will also join the Marching Hundred.

"We're all very excited," Clark said. "It's a lot of making sure we've got the I's dotted and T's crossed. We're excited to have this opportunity to perform our show one last time and have that closure."

Triangular, sail-shaped flags fitted on moving platforms dot the Westfield football field. Each features nautical and astrological designs crafted by two band members' parents, who happen to be graphic designers. Indianapolis design house Dance Sophisticates fashioned each of the band members' matching costumes.

The performance is called Uncharted, which band director Andrew Muth said was a metaphor for the season. After five years in the less-competitive scholastic league, winning top honors in 2021 and 2022, Westfield returned to the top division in 2023.

The band progressed through a regional and semi-final round to get to this point. It will be the smallest band to compete in Class A, which sent five bands to the national championships last year. Cross-county rivals Carmel High School's band, for example, is three times the size of Westfield's.

Coverage of another band competition: Marching bands from across US compete Bands of America event

"Hopefully, we've really set the students up to succeed, and this will be the best performance of the season," said Muth, who is in his fifth year at the helm. "Emotions are really high today — not just for the kids, but for our alumni. This has been a long road."

Muth pushed back on any underdog talk, but he noted his students' placement in the competition was not top of mind.

"We're extremely proud of our kids and the show that we've put forward," Muth said. "Our success this year has been a byproduct of how hard our kids have worked — the excellence that they have shown and chosen for themselves all season. Results are important, but it's really about the kids having the best show possible."

Ava Alessandrini, a sophomore flutist and drum major, said she's focused on keeping the band at this high level for her next few years. She also rejected any underdog tag placed upon her group.

"There's normally a set amount of people out there, but we've been working really hard to try and push ourselves into this group and break the norms," she said.

"We're ready. We've proved our point. We think of it like a pie. With the bigger bands, your slice is smaller. Because we're so small, our slices are bigger. We just have to give that much more effort."

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ISSMA marching band finals: Westfield prepares for top Indiana show