During the summer, most kids were getting their sun-kissed glow, hearing the crashing waves, or drinking an ice cold lemonade. Not everyone had that leisure though; band kids spent their whole summer on the Miami High field under the sizzling sun.
Band kids invest many hours into the band program. For them, keeping up with school and attending practices is a struggle, but they’re determined to succeed in both. Some band kids consider the hardest part of being in the Million Dollar Band (MDB) to be the excruciating hours at practice.
For others, it’s the struggle within themselves. Drumline captain Carlos Obando said, “The hardest part is having the right mentality so that you’re always striving to get better, and no matter how bad you mess up, you just take what you can from it and make it better next time.”

Even though it is hard, band kids stay in the band because it’s rewarding. Tuba squad leader Franklin Davis said, “The best part is the comradery between each member and coming together to make something so beautiful at the end of the day.”
Not all band members are on the field. The drum major is the one standing on the podium conducting the band. Unlike everyone else, she doesn’t march or play an instrument, but her role is essential; she keeps the band together.
Drum major Jailenes Marante said, “The best part of being in the MDB is when we’re in retreat and the announcers call up our band for trophies because it shows that all our hard work has paid off. That is when you think, ‘This is why it was all worth it’.”
This year’s half-time show is named Solaris. Flute squad leader Isabella Mendieta explains the storyline of the piece: “It’s about a king, a princess and the battles that emerge by the arrival of a distant traveler.”
Besides performing at football games, the MDB performs in competitions, which take place each Saturday of October. Band director Mr. Turros said, “Our band is classified as a 3A on a 1-5 scale, which is determined by the number of woodwind and brass instruments in the band.”

Besides woodwind and brass, the band has 3 other sections: battery, front ensemble and color guard.
To be better at anything, you must contribute your fair share. Mellophone squad leader Jennifer Castellon said, “To be part of the marching band, you must have energy, agility, endurance, the ability to work well with others and school spirit.”
Color guard instructor Peter Suarez said, “Attending practice is probably the most important thing! So much information is given in a single practice that missing even one is detrimental to the overall picture. Plus, even just being there and doing something makes you better than you were before.”
Throughout the years, the MDB has grown in size and progressed musically. “The MDB has made exceptional progress since I was first introduced to the program in 2007,” said band tech Mr. Anthony Armas, “not only in the quality of musicianship, but in the quality of people as well. There is an eagerness to learn and improve that has become contagious throughout all the sections.”