WORCESTER—Worcester’s Burncoat High School is now home to the nation’s top high school pep band.
In a historic first, Burncoat’s pep band was crowned national champion at the inaugural Pep Band Competition hosted by the Universal Dance Association (UDA) National High School Championships in Orlando.
The win marks a milestone not only for the school, but for the city of Worcester, as Burncoat was the only team from the entire Northeast to compete at the national level.
“UDA was an incredible experience this year,” Kellie Shea, lead teacher and coach of Burncoat’s dance program, told the Worcester Guardian. “Not only could we compete as a Spirit Team—dance and band—but the dance team competed as they always do and the pep band competed in the inaugural Pep Band Competition.”
Burncoat qualified for the event by submitting a performance video from its football season. According to Shea, the band’s standout energy helped propel them to the top.
“The energy level that the Pep Band brought to the stage in their performance is what made them stand out,” she said. “’Hey Song’ was a fan favorite, as was ‘Swag Surfin’—both are popular band songs that really get the crowd involved.”
The band’s success didn’t stop there. Along with the dance team, they placed third in the “Game Day Live” category, a relatively new event that blends live music and choreography in a five-minute, all-encompassing routine featuring both band and dance.
“The band comes out with their stand-alone routine for 30 seconds, followed by the school’s fight song with dance, the spirit-raising portion, and then the portion where the band and dance can perform together,” Shea explained. “It’s finished off with another 30-second performance by the band. This is all also done to live music, which is unique to any other competition because they usually use canned music.”
Shea said the students’ reaction to the national championship was pure joy: “The band was thrilled! All their hard work and endless rehearsal hours had paid off. The dance team was there to support them and couldn’t have been more proud that BHS took home the gold.”
But the biggest prize may have been the unity built between the band and dance team.
“Before, band and dance were separate,” Shea said. “But this has made them one team and united. They are a family.”
The victory resonated far beyond the competition floor. The team was recognized by the Worcester School Committee, honored with keys to the city by the mayor, and celebrated at Opening Day for the WooSox and the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
“Worcester has been great,” Shea said. “They receive calls and emails weekly to appear and perform throughout the community.”
None of it, Shea emphasized, would have been possible without a strong support network of parents, teachers, and the broader school community—along with the backing of the Shea Foundation, which helps fundraise for Burncoat’s Spirit Team.
“These are the hardest working students,” she said. “Their love for their craft, their community, and their school is evident in everything they do. The students on this team are a special group.”
Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.
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