As twilight settles over the Montague High School football stadium, glow sticks and LED lights begin to light up the field. Bands from across the area transform the space into a glowing stage, setting the scene for one of the most anticipated events of the fall: the annual Glow Show, returning on Monday, October 20, for another unforgettable night of music, creativity, and community.
“For one night, it’s all about them.”
Montague director Emma Greenwood launched the event in 2016 after visiting White Cloud’s version a year earlier. On the bus ride home, two Montague parents told her, “We’re never coming to this again—because next year we’re hosting our own.”
The mission hasn’t changed since: celebrate the students. “Everything the marching band does during the season is to compete or to support football,” Greenwood says. “For one night, it’s ALL about them. A packed stadium cheers for the bands like a playoff game—that makes every minute of rehearsal worth it.”
The audience has grown into a community tradition and a vital fundraiser for Montague’s program. Greenwood’s favorite moment comes before the first note: “When we march into the stadium, we stop, take a breath, and say a prayer of thanks to live in a community that supports what we do. We don’t take it for granted.”
The craft you don’t see in the dark
Directors and boosters spend weeks engineering simple ideas into reliable show-night solutions:
- Mona Shores: Parents retrofit shakos with lighting so the ensemble looks unified. After year one, director Jason Boyden added a light to the back of every jacket: “We learned the hard way—you can’t have kids running into each other.”
- Whitehall: Director Abby Gronvall coordinates booster-made glow kits and retrains marching habits: “Darkness changes everything. Students must be precise or they’ll bump into each other.”
- Hesperia: Director Stephanie Purvis designs formations that read in low light and gradually replaces disposable glow sticks with reusable LEDs: “The environmental impact matters. With care, lights last for years.”
- Shelby: Director Erin Ray runs Glow Show prep alongside a tight rehearsal windows. “We don’t have many after-school days, so we have to be incredibly efficient. Our boosters and drumline staff keep us moving.”
- Montague: Greenwood jokes the most stressful job is ordering glow sticks early enough—then prays for good weather and just the right level of darkness after sunset.
How it feels to perform in the dark
Students say the challenge is the thrill. Memorization becomes non-negotiable; muscle memory takes over.
- Boyden: “Performing without seeing the ground is a masterclass in trust—use the force, rely on training.”
- Purvis: “Older students coach younger ones: know your music, lock your drill without yard lines. Then it hits—‘We feel like rock stars.’”
- Gronvall: “It’s the performance we look forward to most. The most fun, the most smiles.”
- Ray: “Glow Show is purely for fun. No ratings, no score. Just show the season’s work and cheer like crazy.”
- Greenwood: “From Class D to Class A, we’re all just bandos who love what we do. Seeing everyone on the same night is special—core-memory stuff.”
Students, in their own words
From a 75-response student survey across the participating schools:
- What’s the best part?
“Watching other bands’ shows.”
“When the lights go off and you see the band in full.”
“Being able to come together as one community and cheer for each other.”
“Knowing the whole season comes down to this moment—and we get to send it off with one last show.” - Describe the Glow Show in a few words:
“Magical, high-energy, unique.”
“An extremely creative, positive, inclusive piece of art.”
“Band Christmas.”
“Twice as hard, five times as impressive.” - Most fun—or most challenging—part of prep?
“Figuring out how to attach all the glow so it stays.”
“Memorizing music and sets without yard lines.”
“Decking out uniforms and instruments together—it’s like one giant spirit day.”
“Playing in the dark and not worrying—just playing your heart out.” - How is it different with other schools?
“No stress about scores—just a display of talent.”
“The stands are full for the sole purpose of seeing bands.”
“It feels like one big family cheering each other on.”
“You learn from other shows and leave inspired for next year.” - Explaining it to a newcomer:
“Five bands march their halftime shows in the dark with glow sticks on everything—uniforms, instruments, flags—while a packed stadium sings, claps, and cheers.”
“Add it to your bucket list.”
Why it matters
Beyond the spectacle, the Glow Show teaches resilience, design thinking, and collaboration. Students plan, prototype, iterate—and then perform under constraints you can’t simulate under Friday night lights. It also flips the script on rivalry. “Despite competing in sports,” Gronvall says, “we encourage each other’s bands to have a great performance. Band always wins.”
For Greenwood, the memories pile up: parents who insisted Montague should host; a student, wide-eyed after the first show—“Ms. G, it was like we were rock stars and they were cheering for us.” For Purvis, it’s the bus ride “glow-up” and the roar of the crowd. For Ray, it’s seeing students support programs beyond their own. For Boyden, it’s the trust his musicians build when the field disappears. And for every student who has ever stepped onto that darkened turf, it’s the moment the countdown ends, the lights drop, and the band becomes the show.
Mark your calendar for Monday, October 20—five bands, one glowing field, and a night that has become a true tradition.
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