Written by Sean Nutzman

The 20th Annual ExtravaBandza was held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Few things are truly reliable when it comes to predicting the start of spring. I am not referring to the meteorological change of seasons, the exact day the trees will bud or the first day we will see a daffodil blooming. For me, spring is a mindshift that occurs after months of being elbow-to-elbow in the halls of school during winter’s coldest months, students and teachers stuck indoors. After surviving the months of darkness and colder temperatures there is one event that always seems to turn the page from a winter mindset to that of spring. For me and many others, it is the annual band concert involving every Milford band student. Students from fifth grade, having just started band earlier this fall, all the way to seniors playing in their eighth all-school band concert. This massive production has become known as The ExtravaBandza. For the last 20 years, Mr. Goddard has held this instrumental spectacular in the North Gym the second week of February at 7:30 pm. 

The concert started in 2003 after the construction of the north addition was completed and Mr. Goddard finally felt he had a space big enough to hold all the students, their families, and patrons for a 5-12 band concert. For the first few years, this concert had the generic title of 5-12 Band Concert which was adequate but did little to encompass all that transpires at this performance. Mr. Goddard has always centered the performances around a theme ending with every band student playing a grandiose finalé. The first year, the high school band played the 1812 Overture, complete with actual cannon fire during Tchaikovsky’s well-known melody. In talking about the first 5-12 Band Concert, Mr. Goddard recalled how, “ at the end of that concert we turned off the lights and all the students waved glow-sticks as they sang and played Kiss Him Goodbye. Patrons had obviously not seen anything like that before and the crowd went crazy at the end. I remember Steve Carritt finding me at the end of that program and saying, ‘That is what we call a home run. I don’t know how you’ll ever top that.’ So, each year we try to top it. Sometimes we don't and sometimes we do, but it's always very fun.”

Not until Judy Davenport sat down with Mr. Goddard at parent-teacher conferences a few years after it all began and recommended the name that has rallied students and excited parents for decades: ExtravaBandza. Over the years, the concert has seen some fun and memorable themes: Indiana Jones being chased by a gigantic boulder while his well-known theme song was played; tie-dyed costumes and sunglasses for a Beatles concert featuring Hey Jude; and Star Wars. A most memorable year was when the bands played Dancing Queen as a tribute to Susan Weber, a huge supporter of the arts and ABBA fanatic, the year she retired, featuring Cory Curtis who came back from a year in college to be Mrs. Weber’s dancing partner. When it comes to picking the theme, Mr. Goddard shared how, “ over the years [he has] let senior band members have input on the theme and types of music to be included in the concert. If it's a certain song, then I try to brainstorm other popular songs that may fit into that category one way or another.”

This year’s concert theme, Country Home, featured some of the most iconic western theme songs from television and movies. The finalé featured students belting the chorus from John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads as the percussion and lower brass led the way with their Oom-Pah accompaniment. The number of students that participated in the concert is truly outstanding. While the numbers change from year to year the total number of students in the band has always been around 300. This year featured a total of 351 players. 

Check out these outstanding numbers…

• In the elementary, Mr. Goddard has 138 students in the two bands at the fifth and sixth grades. There are only 140 students in all of the fifth and sixth grades!

• Mr. Goddard has an astounding 99% participation rate at Milford Elementary! 

• In junior high, the participation is nearly 75% of the total population with 100 students in band. 

• The high school band adds another 113 students to this already impressive number. 

• At the concert this week the north gym held around 1000 students, parents, and band lovers who were treated to an awesome performance.  

Reflecting on this year’s concert, Mr. Goddard shared that, “as [he] get[s] older, each year is pretty emotional when [he] see[s] everyone there and all of the students in our program together at once. It's about as professionally satisfying as it could get.”

This year marked the 20th annual 5-12 ExtravaBandza and, like all those that preceded this one, the concert marked the turning point toward the end of the year. Basketball teams will play district tournaments with the girls starting next week. Track starts practice in two weeks. The musical, which will perform seven days before graduation for the class of 2023, started rehearsals this past week. True to its tradition, the 2023 ExtravaBandza was a magnificent way to celebrate the start of spring. Here’s to warmer temperatures, longer days, and the excitement we all feel as we walk out of the spectacular 5-12 ExtravaBandza. Wow! Well done Eagles. Well done.