Marching bands are usually on the bleachers at sporting events supporting their team, entertaining the fans on the field at halftime, and adding an atmospheric element that “amps up” the crowd.   On Saturday, all eyes were on the musicians as they took center stage and performed for the 40th annual Hart Rampage presented by the William S. Hart High School Regiment Band and Color Guard at College of the Canyons Cougar Stadium.  A total of 31 bands from Southern California high schools, including the Santa Clarita Valley, with nearly 3,000 students, performed for a crowd as big as 6,000 people in the football stadium, aiming to qualify for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association championships at the end of the season, according to Maria Gutzeit-Fahrenholz, who helped with community outreach for the event.    Local high schools performing were Valencia High School, Canyon High School, Castaic High School, Golden Valley High School, West Ranch High School, Saugus High School and Hart High School.  The annual competition has served as a local tradition, with many generations culminating from the music program, and coming back as spectators to support the new young talent.   West Ranch High School during Rampage 2024 presented by the Hart Regiment Band and Colorgaurd on Saturday at College of the Canyons. Oct. 26, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal “People that have had kids go to Hart, people that they themselves were at Hart or in Hart marching band, they’re still in the community and they’re still supporting, so it’s really fun to see people that have come throughout the years,” said Gutzeit-Fahrenholz.  Robin Sachs played the clarinet in the Hart Regiment Band over a decade ago and returned on Saturday to reminisce and support the local students.  “The community that band set up for you, and the built-in factors of learning how to be on time, learning how to work together has even helped me with what I do now,” Sachs said when asked about her fondest memories during her time with the band. She now works as a school social worker for the William S. Hart Union High School District.   “It’s really awesome to see how much the program has grown since I’ve been in it, and the impact it has on students today.”   Saugus High School during Rampage 2024 presented by the Hart Regiment Band and Colorgaurd on Saturday at College of the Canyons. Oct. 26, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal Sachs also used to babysit Emma Fahrenholz, who is now a sophomore and competed alongside her bandmates from Hart High playing the alto-saxophone. She was inspired to join the music program in the first place because she grew up witnessing the performances when she was a young girl.   “I always saw Hart competing, so it was really my end goal in music to be in the band,” Fahrenholz said. The opportunity to perform with the Hart Regiment is a rewarding experience, she added, because “you really see your hard work come to show,” and “it’s like such a great place to be in. We really want to keep kids in the program and one of those ways of doing that is to host these events where people can get awards, and  just show off what they’ve accomplished in the last few months that they’ve been working on.”  The annual competition also saw an army of local middle schools who are also involved with music programs, with the hopes of having them spark an interest in joining the marching band once they reach high school, added Gutzeit-Fahrenholz.   Hart High School during Rampage 2024 presented by the Hart Regiment Band and Colorgaurd on Saturday at College of the Canyons. Oct. 26, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal Winners of this year’s Hart Rampage 2024 are as follows:   • West Ranch took first place (sweepstakes) award for band and percussion. Their percussion score was the highest of the event overall.   • Saugus won the sweepstakes award for color guard and fourth place for band and percussion categories.   • Golden Valley won second place in band and percussion categories.   • Castaic came in fifth for band score and second place for percussion categories.   • Valencia swept the sweepstakes awards, winning band, color guard, and percussion categories.   • Canyon came in second for the band and percussion categories.   West Ranch High School during Rampage 2024 presented by the Hart Regiment Band and Colorgaurd on Saturday at College of the Canyons. Oct. 26, 2024. Katherine Quezada/The Signal The post Local tradition: Hart Rampage celebrates 40 years   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.