Airport High’s marching band performs with USC at first football game of season; members ecstatic

On Saturday, September 4, Airport High School’s marching band traveled to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., to perform with USC’s marching band at their first football game of the season.

The football game was against the Eastern Illinois Panthers and it turned out to be an exceptional victory for the Gamecocks, as they emerged victorious with a score of 46-0.

In August, the members of the AHS marching band received news that they were going to be performing with the University of South Carolina’s marching band. This news, although it struck them by surprise, was very well-received by the band members.

“Everybody in the band was so excited,” said Richardia H., 11th grader and bass clarinet player in the marching band, “[and] we were talking about it for weeks and weeks.”

“Personally, I think everyone on the field did really well that day. I think it sounded really good too,” Richardia said in response to a question about her opinion on everyone’s performance.

When asked what she would describe the whole day like, Richardia responded by saying it was fun but very tiring. However, she pointed out that it was a “great experience” and she “would love to have this opportunity again.” She made it clear that she enjoyed her time performing with the USC marching band which has been dubbed the Mighty Sound of the Southeast.

Along with this being an exciting opportunity for Airport High School’s marching band, this football game was also a big deal for USC’s marching band, because this was the first time since Covid-19 they’ve been able to perform on the field with the entirety of the band.

At the game, Richardia mentioned that she and other members of the AHS marching band asked the USC members questions about what performing has been like. She learned quite a bit about their feelings towards how the season went last year amid the pandemic. She said that she was told that last year, due to Covid-19, the university’s marching band members were required to play in the stands instead of on the football field.

Furthermore, the marching band had to be split in half in order to perform. In a local WLTX 19 article, trumpet section leader for the USC marching band Adam Dinkins, stated that “Band A would play in the first half of the game and Band B would play the second half of the game, and we kind of did that type of rotation for the season.”

Richardia went on to mention that she had concerns about performing with and around such a large number of people during these times of Covid. “Everyone in the band was worried that we couldn’t go [due to Covid], but luckily our principal gave us the OK.”

September 4 was truly a great day for Gamecock fans as well as the marching band students. Not only was this a good opportunity and learning experience for Airport High’s band and an exciting day of being able to be back on the field for the USC band, the Gamecocks triumphed with an exceptional score.

“The experience was so fun,” added Richardia, “it was really an experience I will never forget. We had a really great time marching with USC.”