As part of the inaugural national competition created by popular heavy metal musicians, the Oakton High School band recreated a Metallica concert at its arena in Vienna, Virginia. Using mainly traditional musical instruments, Oakton played five Metallica songs and wore costumes decorated with traditional musical instruments. Wigs and chains to look like Metallica’s guitarists and drummers.
More than 450 high schools and colleges participated in the competition. On Sunday, Metallica announced that Oakton was one of four high schools to win. Fairfax County The school will get $15,000 to spend on musical equipment.
Oakton band director Jimmy VanValkenburg told The Washington Post that he thought the competition would be fun, but he didn’t expect to win.
“I’m still kind of processing it,” said Van Valkenburgh, 48. “It’s like nothing has ever happened to our program before.”
In April, VanValkenburg saw a video advertising Metallica’s contest on social media. VanValkenburg has been a Metallica fan since he was in middle school, when he watched the band’s music video for “One” almost every day on MTV. He later bought almost all of the band’s albums.
But when VanValkenburg told his General Z In June, about the competition, not many were familiar with Metallica, which was founded in 1981. Chloe French, a senior trumpet player, said she only knows a few Metallica songs, mainly through her father.
After learning about the competition, the Oakton band members listened to Metallica songs during band lessons, in their free time, and while riding buses. They focused on the five songs they planned to play – “The Unforgiven”, “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “Turn the Page”, “The Memory Remains” and “Enter Sandman”.
“I was curious about how to turn this type of music into a band show,” French said.
While Metallica typically performs with a singer, two guitarists, a drummer, and a bassist, Oakton needed sheet music for more than a dozen band instruments, including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, tubas, flutes, bass drums, and drums. VanValkenburg worked with Kent Baker, a former professional musician who assists Northern Virginia high school bands, on writing the notes.
They made some adjustments, such as reducing the long build-ups that Metallica started some songs with. One of Oakton’s students had a guitar, so the band relied on that instrument and sousaphones to play bass for the songs. The band used flutes, clarinets, and trumpets to play the melodies of the songs. VanValkenburg, who has directed the Oakton band since 2012, used a school-owned drum kit.
Meanwhile, Van Valkenburgh said the band members’ parents planned the decorations. They made a small stage on which the percussionists, guitarist and drummer could play. The makeshift black stage curtain had “PARADE TO BLACK” written in silver letters — a pun on the Metallica song “Fade to Black.”
The Oakton band began rehearsing in July and practiced three days a week when school started. In August, the band performed for the first time at halftime of the school’s home football game.
The show began with French playing the trumpet for repeat Power song “Unforgiven”. Some members wore black leather clothing and chains, staples of 1980s heavy metal.
VanValkenburg wanted to include a surprise moment near the end. This came about when the members dressed in punk style wig and walked onto the field displaying “rock” hand gestures. French thought the wig was unusual, but after she wore it during the first show, she felt an adrenaline rush as the audience cheered.
The group improved its marching and dancing throughout the fall. VanValkenburg wanted to record the nearly nine-minute show in a quiet location, so he booked the soccer field on an October night, where parents recorded the show on video cameras.
While reviewing the video, VanValkenburg said for the first time he believed his band had a chance to win. Oakton was entered into the “small high school” category, which includes teams with fewer than 75 members (Oakton has about 70 members).
A panel of six music educators from across the United States narrowed the field of applicants to five finalists for each category last month. During band class on announcement day, VanValkenburg listed the finalists on the screen but didn’t tell his students anything. When they finally looked at the screen, they cheered.
However, VanValkenburg was keen to know which bands Metallica would pick as winners.
Van Valkenburg said Sunday he was watching football at his home in Fairfax when a friend texted him that Oakton won. The winners were announced on ESPN.
When he searched online, VanValkenburg confirmed the news and emailed the band’s staff, members and supporters. At school last week, band members rewatched their performance and reflected on funny rehearsal memories, such as rushing to put on wigs and a smoke machine malfunction.
VanValkenburg said he plans to use the prize money to purchase new percussion instruments. He hopes to make a plaque to commemorate Oakton’s win.
“This is something that will stick with the school for a long time,” VanValkenburg said.