Once a year, the Lakewood Band holds its annual band festival to raise funds for its music program, instruments, and opportunities for students to continue participating in music after high school. The residents of Lakewood come to support and enjoy the performances by the Lakewood High School band, as well as other Cleveland school bands and the featured college band from Mount Union University.
On Sept. 20, 2025, following the festival, the band showed hard work in preparing for the celebration. It takes a lot of effort for the band to communicate while playing. Julius Janke, a senior captain and field commander, works tirelessly to lead the band and set an example. Janke shared his experiences and the difficulty involved in his role.
“The most challenging skill by far I have had to develop as a field commander is patience,” Janke said. Despite the difficulties, he finds solutions and different ways to deal with those problems.
He learns how to step up as a leader while being the commander of a large band and finds the positive in things. Julius added, “Being [a] field commander has taught me valuable lessons that have improved my life and how I interact with this beautiful world. … but all I can do is try my best and just keep trying.” The band festival has been a staple in the communities for more than 30 years. Every year, the band students dedicate themselves to preparing for the festival.
Not only does the band play a significant role in this festival, but the Rangerettes and the flags do, too. The way they stay synchronized with each other shows the hard work and dedication they put into each move.
Senior Rangerette Coralie “Cora” Barcelona has been the varsity captain for two of her four years, ever since her freshman year. As Barcelona has shared her experience throughout the Lakewood Rangerettes programs, she has enjoyed being around her fellow Rangerettes. She said, “My favorite memory with my team is our free-show tradition every game… we put our thumbs together and we give each other a little pep talk.” They give each other the talks they need before a big game or events like the festival this weekend.
The Rangerettes gather to share this moment with their team, getting out any last-minute jitters before their big performance. It shows how well they get along and also expresses the supportive relationships they have.
There are 119 people in the band who work hard to show school spirit and are willing to set their work aside to demonstrate their dedication. Janke said, “I have to spend time at work 10 hours a week, and do marching band 11 hours a week, and spend 56 hours at school a week and I am at one my parents houses half the time and spend 3 hours a week driving there and I sleep for about 8 hours every day, and in total I spend around 132 out of my 168 hours a week being busy during the marching band part of the year.”
The Lakewood Marching Band put in hard work this weekend as they performed Green Day’s “Holiday.” Band director Clinton Steinbrunner and assistant director Julia Wells shared positive comments about the band. Wells said, “The part I enjoy the most is that all the students who are in band get to come together.” She enjoys the different sections of the band, such as the brass, woodwinds, and percussion, coming together to perform excellent music and hearing the wide variety of instruments.
Clinton Steinbrunner shared that, “It’s been a good year, like we’re making outstanding progress… because this year we have a lot of new marching band members.” As the program continues to grow and the festival improves, the band has truly made its mark on Lakewood Stadium, putting in hard work every morning and sometimes practicing after school. Steinbrunner also said, “It’s fun to watch the older, more experienced members help the younger members.” He watched the students build relationships through music, and having the opportunity to learn from one another truly made the band festival one of the most remarkable experiences.
The band festival brought the Lakewood community together as they enjoyed a night of outstanding music.
