Walking into the band room on her first day of the year, junior Lexi Lee was surprised to see so many students in her class.

Lee said despite the the large class, she is still enjoying her time in band.

“It’s been going really well. There (are) a lot of people in the my class, 62 this year, but it’s been really fun. The pep fests have been going well. We have some new songs this year which are really fun to play and fun to show off to everyone else,” Lee said.

According to Schmitz, the year is off to a good start with performances at pep fests and football games.

“We’ve had two pep fests. The first one was a challenge. We only had a day and a half to prepare for the first pepfest and people are rusty after summer,” Schmitz said. “We sounded alright at the first one, but we sounded pretty good at the second one. There is room to grow, but it was solid.”

Junior trombone player John Kraemer said the band’s performances often improve as the year progresses.

“(Pepfest and football games) go pretty well. I think they get better as the games go by. I think we sound the best by the third game that we play. They are still fun to do,” Kraemer said.

According to Schmitz, the band is preparing for some big events this year including playing at a Timberwolves game, going on a band trip to Hawaii and performing at a breast cancer walk.

“We were invited to play at a Timberwolves game. We have over 100 people signed up for that on Nov. 4. We play before the game and then get to sit in a section on the sideline (to watch the game),” Schmitz said.

Lee said it feels good for the band to be acknowledged outside of the Park community.

“I’m really excited. I think it’s really cool that we get opportunities like (the Timberwolves game) in band and we are recognized beyond just the school,” Lee said. “It will be fun.”

Kraemer said he most looks forward to the band upcoming trip.

“We are all really excited (to go to Hawaii). It is going to be a highlight,” Kraemer said. “I think we are going to be playing for the first few days and for the most part just going to see sites. I think some places might be related to music.”