The year is 1966; “Hammerin” Hank Aaron led baseball in home runs, Johnson was President, Star Trek aired for the first time on TV, and the Beatles performed their last ever official concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

And in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, North Penn High School was a thriving place to be. Mirrored by students’ accomplishments today, North Penn kept up their stellar reputation back then not only in academics and sports, but also in music. However, as most things change with time, things at the high school were very different almost half a century ago.

In 1966, the only two music groups were the band, led by Mr. Karl “Bolly” Thompson, and concert choir, led by Mr. Alvin Schmidt. Each was distinguished, playing at the famous holiday and spring concerts, alongside various sports games and school events. As is today, Football was always a popular showcase for the marching band, a specialized Dance Band was organized for basketball games, and the choir would actually perform on local radio station WNPV occasionally.

But as we know today, the student population in the North Penn School District has grown significantly from the 60s. And with that exponential increase of students came the swell of musically inclined kids, allowing the formation of many more branches in the music organization. The current music program can boast not only the original band and chorus, but also two jazz bands, a wind ensemble, a string orchestra, a comprehensive music technology class, men’s and women’s choirs, an ambassadors choir, a chambers choir, and many more specialized groups, all performing within the high school and outside of it. With those groups come the competitions, awards, and successes that have long been a part of North Penn High School, old and new.