By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

The Biddeford High School Marching Band may be small, but its members are ready to blow the crowd away.
The band, which has about 25 members, will host a show featuring 11 bands from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Waterhouse Field.
For Biddeford, it will be their first opportunity to present their finished “Demonic Dream” show.
Band director Pat Bolin said the show is unique and audience friendly. The Halloween-themed show begins with “Danse Macabre,” representing the appearance of “Death” at midnight on Halloween. Death is represented by Hilary Lariviere on her electric violin. Her skeletons – or band members on the field – dance until the break of dawn.
Other songs include “Night on Bald Mountain,” “Bella’s Lullaby” from the movie “Twilight,” “Tubular Bells” from the movie “The Exorcist,” and “Psycho,” from the movie with the same title. During “Tubular Bells,” the drum major is featured on the field as a character possessed by the devil.
“If someone has never seen a band show, I think they’ll enjoy it,” Bolin said. “They entire package is really unique.”
Staff member Bryan MacDonald, who chose the theme and designed the field show, said band members have worked hard to put together a fun and exciting show for their audience.
“It’s exciting music the audience will recognize,” he said.
MacDonald said he is eager to see how the home crowd reacts to the band’s performance, which will be the last of the evening.
“I look forward to the support these kids get,” he said. “I hope these kids give a great show to their audience.”
Drum major Megan Boisclair said the band began rehearsing the show during band camp in August, when members gathered for six hours each day for two weeks. Since the start of school, they have rehearsed three times per week and performed at football games.
“I’m really excited for it all to be finished. It’s going to be great,” she said.
While Boisclair and the staff led most of the band through one of the show’s five songs at a recent rehearsal, the drum line practiced alone, their beats echoing off the high school and down Maplewood Avenue.
The drum line features juniors Keith Stevens and John Troegner and sophomores Mackenzie Toussaint and Zachary Hill. They have been playing together in the marching band for two years, though all have been playing drums for at least seven years.
Hill and Toussaint said having only four people on the drum line presents challenges. The line has to work extra hard to play lots of notes loudly and keep tempo, they said.
“Over here in drum line we work our butts off. We march and play a lot of notes,” Troegner said.
The students said they are looking forward to performing on their home field for a crowd there specifically to cheer them on.
“There’s a little more pressure because it’s your hometown,” Stevens said. “They expect more of you.”
“But we’re also allowed free food,” Hill said, drawing laughter from the others.
Percussion instructor Tom LaPointe, a 2002 BHS graduate, said the drummers work hard to increase their presence on the field, making up for its small size with big sound.
“They work very hard. They can be very goofy at times, but they can switch it on and off,” he said.
Doris Boucher, president of the band boosters, said parents have been busy gearing up for the show and are excited to support their children. She said band members are “good kids” who work hard and deserve the same community support given to other teams.
“I feel the local community support is needed to show these kids in band they really care. It’s a great time,” she said. “It’s a fantastic show. It’s the best show I’ve ever seen them do.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.