By Michele Greenfield

The Eagle Marching Band journeys to the championship tournament in Long Beach Nov. 19.

The award-winning Los Altos High School Eagle Marching Band and Color Guard will compete against 38 top West Coast bands in the Western Band Association Championships Nov. 19 in Long Beach. The Eagles will perform “Journey to Kashmir,” based on the music of Led Zeppelin.

“The music of Led Zeppelin is immediately identifiable,” said Ted Ferrucci, LAHS director of instrumental music. “The three pieces we are using in our show - ‘Kashmir,’ ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘When the Levee Breaks’ - are real attention getters. The exceptional performance by the LAHS marching band holds the audience’s attention from beginning to end.”

Ferrucci said the idea for the show was to convert the songs to symphonic format. “The translation works very well,” he said. “It is a testament to how well the music was originally crafted. It’s not just rock and roll that we are playing. This is great musical literature.”

Members of the LAHS Eagle Marching Band and Color Guard began work on their field show in August, as they do every year. They start practicing at 7 a.m. four days a week and continue two afternoons a week and Saturdays throughout the fall.

“We are gearing up for our last two competitions as well as for the Fall Finale,” Ferrucci said. “We build our season around the Western Band Association Championships, which are always the weekend before Thanksgiving. Our goals every year center on peaking the final week of the season. We are on track to do just that this year.”

“Our best performances lie in front of us,” Ferrucci said. “Keeping that in mind is a real energizer for the kids.”

The LAHS Eagle Marching Band and Color Guard is scheduled to present its annual Fall Finale Community Show at 11 a.m. Saturday on the Los Altos High School football field, 201 Almond Ave. The entire community is invited to attend. Admission is free.