One of Sunlake’s most experienced band members is Charles Edward “Eddie” Middlebrooks. This senior has been in band for nearly a decade, with almost nine years of experience. His instrument of choice is the alto saxophone and he began playing it as a fourth grade student, back when he lived in New Hampshire. Contrary to popular belief, this instrument is made of brass, but considered a woodwind due to the single reed used to make its sound. Playing this instrument requires a great amount of skill and strength to be able to make music while carrying it, and moving around in performances. Pictured, Charles is “…playing in the quartet feature at the beginning of the marching show” during the Butter Bowl football game. Butter Bowl is the Seahawks’ rivalry game against Land O’ Lakes High School, so the athletes and band members had an especially large audience present.
Though the football players did not take home the win, it was a fun game for everyone in attendance. Color guard and the band perform together at the football games, and they were able to show off their performance that won them their competition the following weekend. Additionally, at this game, Charles and other band members were able to bond with each other, which this senior says his is “..favorite part of being in band…” Charles has recently been going through the college application process, in which he is hoping to attend a school with a good band program. However, he is met with the struggles; including, he says, depending “…on which ones I am accepted to, since some of them do not offer a band program.” This is a challenge many other seniors are met with because they want to be able to get a good education, but also do not want to give up their passion. Luckily, Charles has plenty of experience and is a hard worker, so this will likely turn out working in his favor.
