Winning multiple sweepstakes and competitions earned the Diamond Bar High School Thundering Herd a spot in the college all-star game halftime show at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Jan. 20.

Steve Acciani, DBHS’ band director, was informed about the opportunity by the NFL Players Association, which wanted a high school band to perform at its Collegiate Bowl.

The band performed the field show music they typically play at the DBHS football game halftime shows.

“It’s very enjoyable for us,” Acciani said. “We love getting to do different types of events. We like high sophisticated things, but we love things that are just enjoyable and getting connected and doing things that make our community look good are a lot of fun for us.”

In preparation, the band practiced every Friday to polish the routine by reviewing the choreography as well as by revamping some portions of the song.

Though being invited to the Rose Bowl was a tremendous opportunity for the band members, they were not shocked by the news.

“Our band gets invited to a lot of big-name events, like commercials and movies. So because of our reputation, we get the chance to participate in all these kind of events,” Acciani said.

Even though the Thundering Herd has years of experience playing at multiple field show competitions, performing in a major event in front of a live audience is still a new experience.

“The largest difference between performing on the street for a score and in a stadium for a crowd is that when we are on the street, our job is to be as perfect and nitpicky as we can be,” senior band president Nicholas Lucero said. “In contrast, when performing for a live audience, our job is to entertain and bring excitement to the audience.”

The DBHS band members look forward to performing at more exclusive events like this.

“Performing at the Rose Bowl is a tremendous honor. We hope to have more opportunities like this in the future,” senior drum major Ethan Holmes said.