Featured Story
The Happiest Season of All
Dec 12, 2008
Charles W. Flanagan High School isn’t only known for its 2008 World Class Champion Winter Guard. In fact, the entire Falcon Sound has been a class act and a rising star in the world of band. They’ve achieved straight Superiors at all FBA District Evaluations and the program even received the Grammy Signature Schools Special Merit Award in 2001. “To be chosen to perform in the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade was such an honor, and I was so proud of the group’s performance in front of the cameras,” Stephen Rivero, Director of Bands said, “I really can’t wait to turn on my TV Christmas morning and see the group perform.”
The Falcon Sound was ecstatic when they learned that they had been chosen to perform in this nationally televised, Emmy-Award winning show, alongside stars like Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, the cast of “Dancing with the Stars”, Miley Cyrus, and others. Although the Color Guard and Band had been invited to participate in previous Walt Disney World parades, both groups had yet to perform together on a scale such as this one.
The color guard bore gift-wrapped boxes as they danced down Main Street to the band’s rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. “It was amazing to have hundreds of people packed on the sidewalks supporting us,” recalled senior Jamie Davis of the color guard. “It’s an adrenaline rush that you can only get from performing.”
And the experience was not only limited to currently participating members of the Falcon Sound. A number of alumni from both the color guard and marching band programs returned so they could be a part of the magic, too. “It was so much fun to be able to perform with the students I teach,” said Caroline Monge, alumnus, and now also an instructor for the Flanagan JV Winter Guard.
So what’s next for the Falcon Sound? As winter season approaches, the band and the color guard go their separate ways, but Sarah Westerfield, Color Guard member, says, “We’ve always seen ourselves as one big program, and we all make an effort to support each other once we split for the remainder of the year. We love being able to have experiences like this that really do bring us closer as a family.” Indeed, Flanagan’s band and color guard programs have always played a role in each other’s success.
Be sure to catch the Charles W. Flanagan High School Band and Color Guard in the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, airing on ABC December 25th!
For more information, please visitwww.falconsound.org or www.flanaganhighschool.com/~cguard
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