A 2026 ZipDo education report found that nearly 300,000 students across U.S. high schools participate in marching bands. In Brookline, the football team has spent years watching this tradition belong to everyone else.
The football players and coaches believe that a marching band would transform the game-day experience for both players and fans. However, there are still logistical questions that need to be figured out in order to create a successful band.
Players and coaches alike have noticed the atmosphere brought by marching bands at other schools nearby, including Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Natick High School and Wellesley High School.
Senior and captain of the football team William Cavalier said that marching bands contribute to an exciting game atmosphere.
“You can tell that the fans get amped up when they play, and it definitely adds to the environment a lot,” Cavalier said.
Head coach Chad Hunt said that he has also noticed the bands from other schools having a positive effect on the atmosphere.
“I know this year when we played Acton-Boxborough, they had a really big band,” Hunt said. “As we were walking into the game and at halftime, you see all the kids listening to the band, and I think it was just a really good experience for them.”
Cavalier said that based on his observations of how other high schools’ marching bands encourage fan engagement, he believes that having a marching band at BHS would strengthen a game-day experience.
“When we go to away games that have marching bands, their fans are riled up, and the stands are going crazy,” Cavalier said. “I think if we had a marching band, that would definitely change the atmosphere for the better.”
However, band director Carolyn Castellano said that as of now, organizing a marching band would be very difficult. According to Castellano,, between the cost and time commitment, it is hard to see a full-time marching band come into play anytime soon.
“A full-out marching band- that costs a lot of money,” Castellano said. “I couldn’t even get the students to do it because every single student in my concert band does sports. Logistically, it doesn’t make sense.”
However, Castellano said that a marching band could be possible down the road.
“The football team could say, ‘Hey, can you play these two games this year?’ They could start small and see who shows up,” Castellano said. “That might build to something bigger, and I think that might be doable.”
Despite the football team not having a marching band, Hunt said he is still appreciative of the spirit that the student spectators bring to the games.
“I think that we have a great Superfans section,” Hunt said. “They’ve done an amazing job of supporting us at games, and I think that their energy just brings so much after a big play and definitely feeds into us and how we perform during our game.”
