Scatter Band Takes The
Field
By Doug Santana - Director of Performing Arts
For the Archbishop Mitty community, several traditions signal the start of the school year: Freshman Orientation, Back to School Night, and of course, varsity football games. At halftime, after the football players head to the locker room, another team takes the field. They’re wacky with wind instruments… funny with flutes… and they have tubas: The Archbishop Mitty Scatter Band! Music at varsity football games has a long history dating back to when our band director, Ms. Lauren Bevilacqua, was a student at Archbishop Mitty.
“It’s been a fun way for the band kids to be creative and to learn to work together to write and perform a completed show,” Ms. Bevilacqua said.
The process of creating this hilarious halftime entertainment occurs during the academic day in the wind ensemble playing together due to the class, where 47 musicians collaborate “We were under the direction of Mr. pandemic, everyone was to come up with concepts, write diaKimont, we sat in the stands and wore excited to get on the field logue, rehearse formations, and learn our hockey jerseys,” Ms. Bevilacqua said. music. This process takes about two to “There was a cartoon lion playing the and do our show three weeks for each field show and gets trumpet. I still have mine.” repeated four to five times during the fall semester. Ms. Bevilacqua has the Over the years, the school explored the Jessica Taddeo ’22 support of several student leaders, idea of taking the band out of the stands including instrument captains, section leaders, and the drum and onto the field. In 2016, when Ms. Bevilacqua took over the major, in making shows happen. wind ensemble class, the scatter band format was launched, and we haven’t looked back. What is a scatter band you ask? It is a “After a year and a half of not playing together due to the field show genre characterized by humor and based on a theme pandemic, everyone was excited to get on the field and do or topic. The performers “scatter,” or run haphazardly, from one our show,” said Drum Major Jessica Taddeo ’22. “The band formation to the next. This type of halftime show has become sounds so good!” iconic at certain colleges, including Stanford, Harvard, and various Ivy League schools. At Archbishop Mitty, the scatThe Archbishop Mitty scatter band has become a tradition at ter band creates a show around a topic that is connected by home football games. Each year, the program continues to grow dialogue read by a narrator. Previous shows have been and expand. So next time you enter the stands to cheer on the focused on Spirit Week or even movie themes — including one Monarchs at a home football game, instead of heading to the performance where students reenacted the famous scene from snack bar at halftime, stay in your seats and enjoy the show. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana Jones is chased by a The scatter band will be waiting for you! giant boulder, but this time in human form on the football field!
“ After a year and a half of not
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ARCHBISHOP MITTY MAGAZINE
