Comment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved storiesSave
A Virginia high school marching band's recent performance was abruptly interrupted when the musicians wore black uniforms put down their instruments and went behind a makeshift stage. About 30 seconds later, they appeared on the field through a cloud of smoke wearing black, white and gray wigs and playing Metallica's “Enter Sandman.”
As part of a first-ever national competition launched by the renowned heavy metal musicians, the Oakton High School band recreated a Metallica concert at their venue in Vienna, Virginia. Oakton's band performed five Metallica songs, primarily using traditional brass band instruments, and wore costumes decorated with wigs and chains to appear like Metallica's guitarists and drummers.
More than 450 high schools and universities took part in the competition. On Sunday, Metallica announced that Oakton was among four high schools that won. Fairfax County The school will receive $15,000 for music equipment.
Jamie VanValkenburg, Oakton's band director, told The Washington Post that he thought the competition would be fun, but he didn't expect to win.
“I’m still processing it,” said VanValkenburg, 48. “It’s like nothing has ever happened to our program before.”
In April, VanValkenburg saw an announcement video for Metallica's competition on social media. VanValkenburg has been a Metallica fan since middle school, when he watched the band's music video for “One” on MTV almost daily. He later bought almost all of the band's albums.
But when VanValkenburg told his Generation Z When the band's protégés announced the competition in June, many were not that familiar with Metallica, which was founded in 1981. Chloe French, a senior who plays trumpet, said she only knows a few Metallica songs – mostly through her father.
After learning about the competition, Oakton band members listened to Metallica songs during band lessons, in their free time and on bus rides. They focused on the five songs they wanted to play – “The Unforgiven,” “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “Turn the Page,” “The Memory Remains” and “Enter Sandman.”
“I was curious about how we would transform this genre of music into a marching band show,” French said.
While Metallica typically performs with a singer, two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist, Oakton's band required sheet music for more than a dozen brass band instruments, including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, tubas, flutes, and bass and snare drums. VanValkenburg worked with Kent Baker, a former professional musician who supports Northern Virginia high school bands, to write the notes.
They made some adjustments, such as reducing the long build-ups that Metallica started some songs with. An Oakton student owned a guitar, so the band relied on that instrument and the sousaphone to play the bass on the songs. The band played the melodies of the songs with flutes, clarinets and trumpets. VanValkenburg, who has led Oakton's band since 2012, also used a drum kit that belonged to the school.
Meanwhile, VanValkenburg said the band members' parents planned the decorations. They built a small stage where percussionists, guitarists and drummers could play. On the stage's makeshift black curtain, silver letters read “PARADE TO BLACK” – a reference to Metallica's song “Fade to Black.”
Oakton's band began rehearsing in July and practiced three days a week when school started. In August, the band performed for the first time at halftime of the school's home football game.
The show began with French playing the trumpet to imitate it the power ballad “The Unforgiven”. Some members wore black leather clothing and chains, classics of 80s heavy metal.
VanValkenburg wanted to include a surprising moment towards the end. This came when the members embraced the punk style He wore wigs and entered the field with “rock on” hand gestures. French found the wigs unusual, but after donning one at the first show, she felt a rush of adrenaline as the audience cheered.
The band refined their marching and dancing throughout the fall. VanValkenburg wanted to record the nearly nine-minute performance in a quiet setting, so he booked the soccer field one evening in October while parents recorded the show on video cameras.
While watching the video, VanValkenburg said he thought for the first time that his band had a chance of winning. Oakton was placed in the “Small High School” category, which included bands with fewer than 75 members (Oakton has about 70 members).
A panel of six music teachers from across the United States narrowed the applicants down to five finalists for each category last month. During band class the day of the announcement, VanValkenburg listed the finalists on a screen but didn't tell his students anything. When they finally looked at the screen, they cheered.
Still, VanValkenburg was excited to see which bands Metallica would choose as winners.
On Sunday, VanValkenburg said he was watching soccer at his home in Fairfax City when a friend texted him that Oakton had won. The winners were announced on ESPN.
When he checked online, VanValkenburg confirmed the news and sent an email to the band's staff, members and supporters. Last week at school, band members rewatched their performance and reflected on funny rehearsal memories, like rushing to put on their wigs and the smoke machine not working properly.
VanValkenburg said he plans to use the prize money to purchase new percussion instruments. He hopes to install a plaque commemorating Oakton's victory.
“Something like this will be remembered by the school for a long time,” VanValkenburg said.