Band of the week: Eisenhower

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - They’re expecting a packed house at Cameron Stadium Friday night. But those in attendance will be treated to more than just an exciting matchup on the gridiron. They’ll also see the Eisenhower band under first year band director Jeremiah Phillips.

“They’ve been hungry to learn some stuff,” Phillips said. “They’ve been really open and receptive about marching band and how to march and some of the techniques. So they’ve been really receptive and super motivated. They motivate me whenever I come in to work.”

Collin Fallon, a drum major at IKE, said Phillips adds a drive.

“You know he’s fresh,” Fallon said. “This is his first year as a band director, and he really wants to get in to it. So it’s really good to have someone who’s ready to step in and start doing things.”

The Eagles have started implementing some of Phillips’ ideas. While there are sure to be some growing pains with a young group, the enthusiasm is easy to see.

“All of these kids come in every day, especially because they want to march,” he said. “Of course there’s outliers. But, a lot of these kids come in, and they’re excited because we have opportunities now, you know an actual show that we’re studying, and it’s exciting for these kids.”

Phillips says the students are super excited and have been focused.

“So some of the challenges with that is just the speed,” Phillips said. “There’s a lot of freshmen that are here this year. But they’ve been doing a lot of work on their own outside of school hours.”

The Eagles are excited to showcase their hard work on Friday nights this season. They’re hoping to showcase some new tunes for the home crowd, along with a show that features a good mix of music including the Rolling Stones.

“We’ve got a show planned,” Fallon said. “I don’t want to reveal everything. But yea, Painted Black, this is one of our show songs, and I think it’s going to come together nicely.”

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