Collaborative National Anthem Performance

The Collaborative National Anthem Performance initiative brings together the symphonic band students from Heights Middle School and James Monroe Middle School to perform at an Albuquerque Isotopes “School Day Matinee” game. Students rehearse separately, then unite for a joint performance, fostering musical collaboration, peer connection, and civic duty for the community. The event also allows time for social interaction and group integration between the students. Launched in Spring 2025, our first performance marked the beginning of what is now planned to become an annual tradition celebrating music education, teamwork, patriotism, community service, and collaboration between the two schools.

The Heights Middle School (MS) band program has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to community service through musical performance, with civic engagement serving as a cornerstone of its mission. Historically, Heights band students have participated in a variety of community-centered activities, including performances at local sporting events, parades, and collaborative efforts with the local high school band. They have also engaged in joint performances with community ensembles and contributed to charitable initiatives such as the Toys for Tots program.

A long-standing vision of the Heights MS band program has been to instill in students the understanding that music and music education extend beyond the confines of the classroom and into the broader community. It’s also important for a school community to recognize the greater impact music education has within the community. Heights recognized that another Albuquerque-based band program shared this philosophy; thus, a natural partnership emerged between Heights MS and James Monroe MS. This collaboration evolved into a regional initiative centered on a joint performance of the national anthem in response to the Albuquerque Isotopes’ annual School Day Matinee events. The Isotopes extend open invitations to school ensembles for national anthem performances through an audition process for the matinee day.

At its heart, this initiative offers students a meaningful opportunity to serve the community by performing the national anthem—a powerful and patriotic tribute to the United States, its veterans, and active military personnel—at a high-profile, state-level event. Moreover, the collaboration fosters inter-school connections, encourages student camaraderie, and underscores the importance of community engagement through music. It is both inspiring and humbling to witness two schools, separated by over 130 miles, come together with such unity and purpose to celebrate and share the gift of music and patriotism in service to their community.

Students were, and remain, a central focus of the performance, as it is essential for them to understand that their study and practice of music extends far beyond personal achievement. They are actively participating in “musicking,” just as their peers over 130 miles away are doing in another city. This shared experience underscores a valuable lesson: the skills they are developing serve not only a broader community but also contribute to their personal growth. Through music, students gain a lifelong ability to collaborate with others and take part in something truly meaningful, all the while doing something they love. The students’ performance gave community members a chance to witness their passion for music and country, inspiring strong support for music education and highlighting the value of collaboration and service.

In September, the Public Relations Manager for the Albuquerque Isotopes was contacted regarding the possibility of an auditioned ensemble performing the national anthem at a regular-season game. Following this initial outreach, several email exchanges took place, during which a timeline for submitting an audition recording was established for December.

Once the audition date was confirmed, collaborative communication between the directors of both participating schools commenced. Between September and December, students at each school rehearsed the national anthem independently. Progress recordings were exchanged among the directors/students between schools, and feedback was provided to both ensembles to support their preparation. This collaboration through “in-progress” recordings is crucial to the initiative’s objectives.

In December, the school with the stronger audition recording submitted their version to the PR Manager for final consideration. From January through April, students at both schools continued to refine the national anthem, focusing on memorization and elevating their performance to the highest musical standard.

Once the musical preparation was complete, logistical planning began for the performance in early May. This included drafting itineraries, arranging bus transportation, coordinating public relations efforts with the local school district to promote the event, organizing chaperones, and finalizing attire for the performance by purchasing custom event shirts.

On the day of the performance, students arrived together, received complimentary game tickets, participated in a meet-and-greet, and quickly unpacked their instruments in preparation for the performance. One director conducted the ensemble, while the other performed alongside the students. The combined group was allotted five minutes for a final warm-up and tuning before performing live in front of a stadium audience and a televised broadcast.

Following the performance, students had the opportunity to enjoy the baseball game together, fostering camaraderie and creating lasting memories.

PR Manager (Albuquerque) Isotopes

Heights MS Band Director

James Monroe MS Band Director

PR Spokesperson (Farmington Municipal Schools)

PR Spokesperson (Albuquerque Public Schools)

The main tools we used were email for all communications and recording devices to share our recordings with one another. The initiative did not require anything more than that.

The primary preparations for this event involved extensive email communication with parents to coordinate and confirm logistical details. Targeted email invitations were also sent to district administrators and public relations personnel to encourage promotion of the event through the school’s official social media channels. Although not all invitees were able to attend, both the principal and the counselor from Heights Middle School were present to support the students. Additionally, custom t-shirts were purchased for both students and adults to wear as a means of promoting the event within the school and the broader community, as well as to serve as performance attire. The buzz on social media upon returning was wonderful for students/families/community members to see, furthering support for music education.

$48.00 – Sheet Music

$309.18 – T-Shirts

Transportation was covered by School Admin

We had no challenges with this initiative, as everyone involved was incredibly open to it every step of the way!

The effectiveness of this initiative was assessed through three qualitative measures. First, audience reactions—such as enthusiastic cheering, verbal compliments, and visible excitement during the students’ performance at the ball game, including positive social media coverage/comments locally there and back home—both served as immediate indicators of impact. Second, the initiative generated considerable positive engagement among the students, evidenced by ongoing conversations about the experience, the formation of new musical friendships, and sustained enthusiasm following the event. Finally, a follow-up survey revealed that 97% of participating students identified the event as the most impactful experience they had encountered during their time in middle school to date for their three years in Band at that point.

Upon returning from our inaugural national anthem performance event, enthusiasm for the next opportunity was already evident. Students began to grasp the true purpose of sharing music beyond the confines of the classroom and concert hall. The event served as a valuable public relations opportunity for both Heights and James Monroe schools, allowing us to highlight our music education programs to the broader community. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with numerous compliments and strong support for the students’ musical development. The experience was so well received that we were immediately invited to return next year—a gracious offer we were pleased to accept.

When replicating this project, emphasize the national anthem’s importance to the students, especially its impact on military members past and present. Stay open-minded and organized—the process is simply musical preparation, logistical planning, and execution.