The Rebels football team took on Needham under the lights at Turco Memorial field at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 16.  Walpole won 21 to 7; however, one thing was different in comparison to recent years. For the first time since the 1990s, the newly formed marching band, led by music teacher Kenneth Gable, took the field for a halftime show.

The marching band played one song, called “Distorted,” which is a musical piece from Cirque du Soleil. The band met multiple times over the summer to rehearse the song and practice taking the field.

“We march onto the field into a ‘W’ design,” said Gable. “After we play the songs, we march off the field and the kids get a break.”

The students in the marching band take the concert band class at Walpole High and the half time performances are now an extension of their curriculum.

“I enjoy taking band class in school,” sophomore Griffin Wilkins said. “I think we play well together.”

Many students thought that the performance was a nice addition to the usual halftime festivities.

“I loved it,” said junior Kristen Messina. “They really got the crowd pumped.”

Gable plans to build on this initial excitement by improving the band’s performance each time they step on the field.

“The marching band is the most exposed ensemble the school has,” Gable said. “I want us to be good.”

In fact, Gable hopes that the marching band will be the impetus for the creation of a school song.

“A school song could bring us together,” said Gable. “I think the marching band will be good for the culture [at Walpole High].”

Although the marching band does not plan on extending their performances throughout the winter season, Gable is looking forward to future football games. As for now, Gable is pleased with the marching band’s first show.

“There are a few things we need to fix going forward, but for our first performance we did a great job,” said Gable.

UPDATED: This article has been changed since its original publication. The original version reported that the marching band played for the first time ever; however, this fact was not true. The marching band did exist in the 1990s but has not been active for at least twenty years.