High School Football Team Shows Up To Support Marching Band

The marching band is always there for the football team, and vice versa, which is why at Utah’s American Fork High School

“POV: This week I was attending my daughter’s band competition and all of a sudden I saw high school football team come to support the band,” the story posted on Instagram by Ashley Blackhurst read.

In the clip, the young athletes who seem to be in team uniform, are shown seated together on bleachers on a Saturday evening. It is a tradition which was initiated six years ago by a coach Aaron Behm who realized that his players did not interact with members of the marching band as they were two different teams. 

“Well, I thought: ‘You know what, I don’t need this negativity in my life, I don’t need it.’ Guess what it’s time to do? Go home, go watch the band, and find out what they carry out.’ They go and enjoy at our games and more importantly, create an excellent experience, and they need support back,” Behm explains to TODAY.com. 

According to data the marching band of the American Fork High School is ranked among the best in the state of Utah.

“My guys are always so impressed by how much goes into these performances,” Behm says. “The local band is popular across the country, and certainly, there are many things we can study from their performances.” 

Team captain Tayvin Jensen, 18, said: ‘I have huge respect for them.’ 

“Have you seen them?” Jensen asks. “They're incredible."

“We love supporting them,” he adds.

Kate Blackhurst of the band said that everything the patrons do is appreciated by the members of the band.

“It builds our morale and feels so good when we turn out to look at them,” says Kate, a senior playing the vibraphe. 

According to Kate, he has realized that football players always remain behind to watch the band practice. Not because someone name, Coach Behm tells them too but because they feel like being there.

“It’s super cool,” she says.

As for Kate’s mother, Ashley Blackhurst, the opinion is the same.  

Saying it means a lot to me as a parent but I bet @ hqmusicmemories it means the WORLD to some of those band kids,” was the message Ashley wrote on the Instagram video which went viral. “Thanks for inspiring these students @americanforkhigh let them be #bethedifference.”

"Former band nerd here. This is so amazing to see. ‘That is the way to support each other’ wrote one user under the post.

Appeared and another was added, “This, however, is how it should be all the time.” But there is too much divide and inequality, I think, too often between sports and the arts. “Now if the band is supposed to come to the game and cheer on the players with their music then the players must also come to their band events to cheer on the band with their kind of support.”