The Wakeland band just placed third in the UIL state marching contest — a huge accomplishment that every Wolverine
Congratulations on a phenomenal season 🩵” said Wakeland Band directors, via Instagram (Wakeland Band)
should be proud of. Their success fits right into an important conversation about how music shapes the biggest halftime shows of the year.
From the Super Bowl to Friday Night Lights, artists like Bad Bunny are changing how halftime show performances sound and feel. This exploration reveals how pop music influences major halftime productions and how the same energy inspires high school bands every time they take the field.
Super Bowl Halftime Show: The Biggest Concert of the Year
Are people tuning into the Super Bowl for the touchdowns or the biggest concert of the year? In 2025, over 10 million people joined the Super Bowl stream simply to watch the halftime show. This growth of mid-game viewership could be credited to the selection of mainstream artists and the diverse selection of singers.
The NFL’s collection of headliners over the last decade has broadened viewers’ music tastes significantly. Jessica Munis, professor of music business, explains the impact of the Super Bowl halftime show:
“It’s kind of hard to say like, oh, the music industry is shifting or it’s changing. It could be in certain regions. I mean, this is just my opinion with certain things. It’s out of sight, out of mind. And then people are like, whoa, the industry is changing. It’s like it’s not — it’s always been there, you know, but I think it’s just now it’s coming into the limelight of an audience that maybe would never listen to Bad Bunny or other Latin artists the way that they would normally consume music.
You know, it may not be on the top of their playlist. It’s going to have that impact.
When it comes to high school football games, I just think maybe the songs, pop songs might be more — like arrangements will be made for high school bands and things like that.”
Pop Culture’s Influence on High School Marching Bands
While the Super Bowl halftime show has an incredible impact on larger productions, pop culture has a similar influence on high school band shows like Wakeland’s.
“The way that we think the audience will respond to what we play is a huge factor on why we select certain tunes. That’s why this year we’re doing some Journey and then this year some Creep because we wanted to make sure that when an adjudicator or when an audience is watching 20 to 30 bands that the Wakeland band can be memorable,” explained the band director Ryan Guidry.
“If we know we choose something that’s been in the top 40 hits or whatever at some point, everybody will be able to latch on to that and be like, ‘Oh, I know the Wakeland show because they’re playing Creep or they’re playing Journey and stuff like that.'”
Music Connects People Across Cultures
From high school bands to the biggest stages, music connects people across all cultures. As one student put it: “Can’t live in a world without live music.”
The evolution of halftime show performances — whether at the Super Bowl or Friday night football games — demonstrates how pop culture continues to shape entertainment, broaden musical tastes and create memorable moments that resonate with audiences of all backgrounds.
