By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Bingham High’s marching band not only was able to compete in a full season of four competitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the student-musicians also placed in the 6A open-division at the state championships. 

“The Bingham kids did a great job,” director Darin Graber said. “They worked their butts off, despite COVID, and broke into the top five.” 

This season, Bingham’s show, “Remix De Lune,” featured music by Claude Debussy. 

“The whole show is based around his Clair De Lune, and we explored that classic piano work in a lot of different musical styles,” he said, adding that was the point of the giant moon prop as it moved around the field.

In 2016 and 2017, when Bingham won back-to-back titles, the musicians had competed against other schools with the same-size program. Now, they’re competing against marching bands from the same-size school, which doesn’t always translate into the same size of marching band, Graber said. 

Regardless, Bingham’s marching band learned to navigate through the COVID-19 season.

At competitions, student groups were ushered in and out of competitions, so they weren’t able to watch other schools and even judge numbers were limited so they could be socially distanced in the press box. 

Still, the student-musicians want a marching band season to perform.

“Band kids are pretty good, compliant about wearing masks,” Graber said. “We were one of the only fall groups at Bingham that didn’t have a huge chunk quarantined. In fact, we had 100% attendance at the state championships. They’re great kids.”