For Chi-Hi senior Megan Randall, marching band is all about the competition performances.

“The lights in the stadium, it’s dark out, the fans cheering us on,” she said. “It’s exhilarating.”

That’s exactly what Megan and the rest of the Chi-Hi marching band will be thinking on Saturday at the state finals at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Megan has been playing clarinet in the marching band since she was a freshman. But she also makes time for a host of other activities, including the tennis team and being a class officer.

“Even if you’re in band, you can still be in sports,” Megan said, noting that practice for tennis and band sometimes overlaps for an hour.

“It sometimes means getting sectionals with band instructors rescheduled,” she said. Sectionals are when the instructors meet with the band members individually and discuss their individual skill progress.

She says the extra effort is worth it, though, and she still gets her practice time in for both activities. Megan’s efforts do not go un-noticed by her instructors.

“Megan is a quiet leader in the band,” said co-band director Andrei Strizek. “She sets a great example and takes care of her responsibilities.”

“She’s a well-respected senior, who in turn respects all her bandmates equally,” said co-band director Tim Baumann. “Megan impresses upon everyone the way to go about things without saying a word.”

Megan finds the people in band are one of its biggest draws.

“All the people you hang out with — you’re always together so you become close,” she said.

She’ll miss band after graduating in May, and hopes Saturday’s performance goes well.

“I think we’ll do good,” Megan said. “It would be nice to do good my senior year.”

Season finale

Chi-Hi’s 180-member marching band will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 24th annual Wisconsin School Music Association State Marching Band Championships at UW-Whitewater. Band directors Strizek and Baumann are optimistic about the band’s final competition of the year.

“The season has been going well, and we’ve been working really hard,” Strizek said.

“Although this is my first year (here), I’ve been pleased by the support for the program from parents and students alike,” Baumann said. “I was standing in the checkout line at the store, and someone commented on how great the band was the other night. I’m proud of the work these kids are doing.”

“It’s nice to know the band’s improvement is evident to the general public,” Strizek said.

The band’s best show so far, agree the directors, was the one at Chi-Hi on Saturday, Oct. 11. Strizek and Baumann said they’re excited and a bit nervous for the season’s big finale on Saturday.

“Our goal is to put on our best show,” Baumann said. “We want to provide a really cool musical show for the audience.”

Heading to UW-Whitewater will be four bus loads of students, chaperones and staff. An additional bus of fans was also filled and will be accompanying the band.

“I’m pretty excited about the bus of people coming down to support us,” Strizek said.

This year’s theme for the program is “A Night at the Movies,” featuring selections from films such as “Ratatouille,” “Antz” and “The Incredibles.”