The husky fight song resonates through the stadium. Purple, black and white uniforms form meticulous shapes and lines, spanning the green turf. This time, this familiar scene is a little different. New, energetic faces of eighth graders from Harmony Middle School and Oxford Middle School join the BVNW band during eighth grade band night.

This year’s eighth grade band night was Oct. 9. Eighth grade band students, along with the high school marching band, performed during halftime of the football game at the DAC.

Lundine said high school band members were paired with an eighth grade band member who shadowed them around for the night.

“[Eighth grade band night is] a great way to connect the dots between middle school and high school, and it’s an awesome way for them to figure out what the experience is like as a high schooler,” BVNW director of bands, Adam Lundine, said. “They get time to hang out with the high schoolers in band, get to know them and see who they might be working with next year.”

While eighth grade band members got a taste of what high school band is like, junior Ella Nordell-Morris said the evening was also enjoyable for high school band members not only because of the fun, but also because the high school band members got to know potential band members.

“I like getting to know the incoming eighth graders,” Nordell-Morris said. “We get a feel for the talent that’s coming into our school and it’s fun because afterwards, we just hang out and eat pizza together.”

Nordell-Morris said the band continues with its normal routine during the event, because she said it is beneficial for eighth graders to see what the marching band typically does during a football game.

“A part of [preparing for eighth grade band night] is putting our show together, working on our music to make sure we have it all memorized and all down so the eighth graders can see how serious we are about marching, but also how fun it is,” Nordell-Morris said.

As their last eighth grade band night passed, senior band members reminisced on memories from their first eighth grade band night – when they were eighth graders.

Senior Peter Hartman said he remembers sitting in the stands with the rest of the band members who included him as they all yelled, cheered and told inside jokes.

“When I was in eighth grade, my sister was a sophomore, and her friends all adopted me as their eighth grade band buddy, and they made sure I had a great time,” Hartman said.

Lundine said eighth grade band night, in addition to being a way for eighth grade students to experience what high school band is like, is a great recruitment tool for the band.

“It definitely helps with our great numbers that we have at Northwest,” Lundine said. “We have a very high percentage of eighth graders who become ninth grade band members, and then, so on and so forth from year to year.”

Harmony Middle School eighth grader Danya Radhi said before eighth grade band night she was nervous to attend her first BVNW football game and experience band on a different skill level. However, after experiencing eighth grade band night, she said the experience did not turn out the way she anticipated and is now excited for high school band.

“I thought band would just be something that I would dread doing [prior to going to eighth grade band night],” Radhi said. “But now I see that band is like a family.”

Senior Piper Wiley said eighth grade band night was one of the main reasons she decided to be a part of band in high school.

“I remember a lot of craziness: a lot of dancing and partying and singing and playing,” Wiley said. “But I remember having an absolute blast and watching everybody have so much fun; I wanted to be a part of that; I wanted to be in band.”