Members of the Lake Placid Middle-High School marching band perform during the Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Every year, the Lake Placid middle and high school bands march in the parades on Veterans Day, Halloween and Memorial Day. Playing instruments outdoors is much different than playing inside an auditorium for the winter and spring concerts, and band members must master many things beyond just learning the music.

The marching band most recently participated in the parades on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and Halloween, Oct. 31.

“I like the Halloween parade and dressing up in costume,” said band teacher Emileigh Kukuvka. “The music is fun to play, and people love hearing the band.”

Kukuvka was born in Rochester, New York. She’s always loved music and playing the flute, starting in fifth grade and continuing through high school and college. She started teaching in Lake Placid in 2016, and since then, she’s marched in almost all of Lake Placid’s parades. In recent years, the parades on Main Street have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic or the Main Street construction project. The recent Halloween and Veterans Day parades were the first ones held on Main Street since 2019.

Kukuvka picks the marching band music for the parades.

Members of the Lake Placid Middle-High School marching band perform during the Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“I pick songs that fit the theme of either Halloween or patriotic,” she said. “I also look for pieces that both middle school and high school can play.”

During the Halloween parade, for example, the marching band played “Moster Mash” and “Ghostbusters.”

Since middle and high school band rehearsals are held every other day, Kukuvka said students tend to master the pieces quite quickly. But mastering does not always mean memorizing. Instead, students put their sheet music into lyres — miniature music stands — which are clipped onto their instruments. In addition to the music, the band has to master marching and playing the pieces at the same time.

The parade is not the only time they get to practice marching and playing their instruments outside. Kukuvka said they have a few outdoor rehearsals on the Olympic Speedskating Oval in the front of the middle/high school. And sometimes they practice marching in place inside the band room.

During the parade, the band plays two songs, but if they are in a longer parade, there could be more songs, keeping in mind that the music would be picked based on the ability level of the band.

Lake Placid Middle-High School band teacher Emileigh Kukuvka (Photo provided)

“I love working with my students and making music together,” Kukuvka said. “The parades are usually big hit for people in town and usually many people attend.”

In the parades for Veterans Day and Memorial Day, the band usually marches with the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, police and fire department officers, veterans and others who serve the community.

At Halloween, the band follows a Lake Placid Police Department vehicle, which leads the parade, and marches with the elementary school, sixth graders at the middle school and students from St. Agnes School.

The different parades bring together the community with music, marching and happy kids. Lake Placid’s next parade is expected to be on Memorial Day.

Members of the Lake Placid Middle-High School marching band perform during the 2021 Halloween parade. (News photo — Andy Flynn)