Eighteen members of Manhattan High’s Big Blue Marching Band participated in the All-Star Band at the Kansas State University football game on Saturday. 

This is the fifth time MHS has had students participate with KSU’s marching band to perform the halftime show. According to band director Joel Gittle, the four MHS band directors met last spring to consider instrumentation, skill and leadership to come up with recommendations, from which 29 students were selected, leading to the 18 who were able to participate. 

“This year the All-Star Band is about leadership,” senior Gavin Starling said. “I was very excited to be back and playing.” 

Starling and senior Tanner McIntosh were two of the people who got chosen to play with the K-State band. 

“The atmosphere is just really high paced and super intense because it’s a college football game,” McIntosh said, “so it’s just a lot of fun and it’s super intense and loud.”

Being part of that college band environment was a highlight from the event. 

“Definitely when we got to go sit with in the section with the band, and it’s just super fun to play all the cheers,” McIntosh said, “and it’s just, again, it’s just really super intense and super like fast-paced, so it was just really fun.”