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As a young girl, Delaney Orr, 13, of West Chester Twp. used to listen for the band practicing in the nearby high school parking lot. She would attend football games just to hear the East and West bands play.

Now, she takes private lessons and dedicates herself to the flute so one day soon she too may find herself marching down the field or with the symphonic winds on stage, playing her heart out to help the band win awards.

"I wanted to be in that band because I heard it all my life," she said. "That's everyone's big goal here. We're all trying to get into that West band."

More than half of Lakota Ridge students participate in the 350-member band that is one of the largest groups Director Brian Botdorf has seen in his fifth year at the school. Those students compete with Lakota Plains to get positions in the various freshman school bands, and to be successful, it takes more than just practice.

"They know if they don't start private lessons at this level, they won't reach that level at the high school," Botdorf said.

The bar is set high, but he said his students enjoy what they are learning to play and they look forward to opportunities like the Rose Bowl parade.

"They see what happens at the high school level and a lot of the parents realize what's at the high school level," he said. "Band is cool. In some schools, it's not that way."

Eighth-grader Max Greenberg, 13, said his dream is to play in the high school jazz band. Botdorf said Max is already playing at a high school level and is well on his way to reaching that goal. Already a master at piano and bass clarinet, Max said he plays in a band with his dad, a professional bass player.

He started playing piano at the age of 5, and said his passion for music has only grown. Now bass clarinet is his favorite, and Max said he spends about an hour each day practicing outside of normal jazz band classes and private lessons. Nearly all his friends play instruments. Max said it is partly because of the long-standing Lakota tradition for music and also because of the dedication of instructors.

"Mr. Botdorf is teaching us more how to improvise, and a lot of other junior high schools haven't been doing that," Max said. "He's a good teacher."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.