On October 14, Griffith High School’s Symphonic Band held their “Sounds of the Stadium” concert in the auditorium, featuring music from their marching band season. This was their first concert of the year and the first under the director Virginia Hernandez. Pieces performed included “Twist and Shout” and “You Really Got Me” from their halftime show, as well as “American Fanfare,” “Shake a Tail Feather,” “All Star,” “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Orange Bowl,” and the GHS fight song. Drum majors Charles Murphy and Abby Wroblewski conducted three songs each; Murphy conducted “Orange Bowl,” “Shake a Tail Feather,” and “Twist and Shout.” Wroblewski led “You Really Got Me,” “Thriller,” and “Beat It.”

“We showed off our abilities, the things we did this season,” said Murphy. “I got to show off what I’ve been doing for the past few months [as a drum major]. I’m more than just a player now. It was regular concert, and I enjoyed it.”

The pieces trace the band’s history of the season. As stated before, “Twist and Shout” and “You Really Got Me” are from the Marching Panthers’ Sixties Sing-a-long halftime show, which they practiced for the last three months and performed at five home games. “American Fanfare,” “Shake A Tail Feather,” and “All Star” were introduced when the band learned them for Purdue Band Day, which took place on September 14. “Thriller” and “Beat It” made their debut five years ago for a halftime show and have since become pep band staples for the band. 

“I thought it was a great closer to our marching band season, and I received lots of compliments that the band was sounding great,” said Hernandez. “We have our next concert in December.”