Icebreakers filled the first day of Band Camp on Aug. 4, marking the official start of the merge between Lynbrook and Monta Vista High School’s marching bands. The merge arose from a member shortage. This year, members hope to work together and blend differences in campus culture for their first joint season.
In the 2024-25 school year, Lynbrook band teacher Michael Pakaluk found declining interest in marching band. Removing the band or dropping to a lower division were options he mentioned to Monta Vista band director John Gilchrist, who was facing the same issue of dropping to a lower division due to a small band. After discussing how both bands could be sustained by pooling resources together, the decision was made to combine them. A larger band would also perform better and have later, more convenient competition times.
“Our bands complement each other well,” junior and band manager Benjamin Zhang said. “Lynbrook tends to have a stronger brass section, while Monta Vista tends to have stronger percussion
Lynbrook and Monta Vista’s color guard teams also merged at the same time. Becca Mendoza coached both the Lynbrook and Monta Vista color guard teams in the past, which led to similarities in structure between the teams. Teammates learn in groups, fostering community as they help each other with tricks and choreography. This season, color guard members also got new, higher-quality equipment, including iridescent ribbons, flags with gold vinyl poles, jazz shoes and gloves.
“It feels like home,” junior and third-year color guard member Samantha Tai said, “These are my people.”
Compromises have helped forge a shared identity. The team’s jacket is black to avoid colors that overrepresent one school.
“I understand the reasoning behind the choice,” sophomore and color guard member Sayaka Tawaza said, “But I would have preferred blue jackets, since I think that color matches well with the design elements and blue being one of Lynbrook’s school colors wouldn’t define its superiority.”
The marching band has kept both schools’ traditions intact. Both Monta Vista’s team bonding games and Lynbrook’s water balloon fight tradition were implemented during Band Camp. Other traditions include Monta Vista’s Halloween and Skit Nights and Lynbrook’s sections shouting their slogans. Before the merge, Lynbrook’s band was primarily led by students, while Gilchrist was more hands-on while directing the Monta Vista band. The merged band combines student independence and director guidance.
Practices are being held at Lynbrook for the first half of the season and will move to Monta Vista once their field construction concludes. Marching band football game performances will be at Monta Vista, including the Homecoming game. Though some Lynbrook students expressed disappointment over not being able to perform at their school, the team decided that performing at Monta Vista’s varsity games is more practical due to Lynbrook only having a few JV games that conflict with Monta Vista’s schedule.
The merge will last indefinitely due to decreasing member numbers. For now, the Monta Vista-Lynbrook band hopes to do well in the 4A division competitions this year and move to the more competitive Bands of America competitions in the next couple years as one cohesive band.
“With so many competing student interests in high school, it’s difficult to have a big, thriving program,” Gilchrist said. “I think we are able to make it happen, though, if we band together, pun intended.”
