The Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians Band is preparing for the new school year as students practice at band camp just days before classes resume. The program was founded in 1934 as part of the Federal Music Project during the Great Depression.
Band director Sean Srigley is an alumnus of Vero Beach High School who was in the band himself. Annabel Robbins plays flute piccolo and serves as a drum major, while Brady, an incoming senior, is the woodwind captain and section leader. Brady said being in charge of many students is scary because he has to make sure they are all doing well.
The band has performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1988, marching through the streets of New York City and playing Alexander's Ragtime Band for millions of television viewers. The program has also performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Orange Bowl and Carnegie Hall. The program has earned decades of Superior ratings and national recognition.
Students practice on the football field in the Florida heat, demonstrating discipline and dedication as they prepare music and drill routines. Srigley said the band at Vero Beach High School is right there with the school's academics and athletics, having marched in every big parade in America.