Marching Band

This ensemble represents the O’Connor Band Program at many of our most visible school and community events throughout the year. Students perform at varsity football games, pep rallies, UIL Marching Contest and other marching competitions, as well as local and community parades. Members combine music and movement to create an exciting field production while developing musicianship, marching fundamentals, teamwork, discipline, and performance skills. The ensemble also plays an important role in supporting school spirit and proudly representing Sandra Day O’Connor High School throughout the community.

Wind Ensemble

Our Wind Ensemble is the varsity concert ensemble and performs advanced wind band literature. Students are expected to demonstrate a high level of musical independence, technical proficiency, and ensemble awareness. Instruction focuses on advanced concepts in tone production, rhythm, intonation, balance, musical expression, form, harmony, and interpretation through both performance and listening.

Symphonic Band

The Symphonic Band is designed for developing and intermediate-to-advanced musicians. This ensemble performs literature generally ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 5 and participates in both Pre-UIL and UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation. Students continue refining their technical and musical skills while developing stronger ensemble awareness, tone quality, rhythmic accuracy, intonation, and musical expression.

Concert Band

The Concert Band provides developing and intermediate musicians with an opportunity to strengthen their individual and ensemble skills. The ensemble performs literature generally ranging from Grade 3 to Grade 4 and participates in Pre-UIL and UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation. Students focus on building strong fundamentals while continuing to develop tone, technique, rhythmic accuracy, intonation, and overall musicianship.

Instrumental Ensemble

Instrumental Ensemble provides students with a more individualized approach to musical development. The class is designed for students who would like additional time to strengthen their skills and advance on their primary instrument, as well as students who are new to band and would like to begin learning an instrument from the ground up.

With a smaller class size, students receive more opportunities for small-group instruction and individualized attention from a director, allowing instruction to be tailored to each student's experience and musical goals.

Jazz provides students with the opportunity to develop the skills and musicianship needed to perform a wide variety of jazz styles. Students study jazz-specific concepts such as chord symbols, advanced rhythms, articulations, phrasing, swing interpretation, improvisation, and jazz terminology while applying those skills to both ensemble and individual performance.

Through the study of traditional and contemporary jazz literature, students learn to recognize common musical forms, understand harmonic progressions, and develop greater independence as performers. Listening and analysis are also important parts of the class, helping students gain an understanding of jazz history, style, and the musicians who have shaped the genre.

Students are encouraged to develop their own musical voice through improvisation, solo performance, and ensemble interaction, while learning the importance of balance, blend, time, style, and communication within a jazz ensemble. The course challenges students to become more confident, creative, and versatile musicians while preparing them for performances, festivals, and other jazz opportunities throughout the year.

The O’Connor Percussion Program provides students with a comprehensive percussion education as members of the school’s 180-member marching band, three UIL concert bands, two jazz bands, Full Orchestra, and multiple percussion ensembles. The program emphasizes the development of strong fundamentals, musicianship, ensemble awareness, leadership, discipline, and professionalism while providing students opportunities to perform a wide variety of percussion literature.

The O’Connor percussion program has earned numerous competitive honors at the local, state, and regional levels. The marching percussion section has received multiple Best Percussion awards and was part of O’Connor’s Grand Champion performances at the South Texas Classic in 2023 and 2024. The drumline also earned 2nd Place at the 2024 Dripping Springs Drumline Invitational in the Intermediate Large Division.

O’Connor Indoor Percussion has experienced continued competitive success, including a TCGC State Championship in 2019, recognition as a WGI Virtual Semi-Finalist in 2021, 3rd Place in TCGC Scholastic Open in 2023, and a 2nd Place finish at the WGI Dallas Regional in Scholastic Open.

Concert percussion is equally important to the program. Students perform with O’Connor’s concert ensembles, which have consistently earned UIL Sweepstakes ratings, while also preparing chamber and percussion ensemble literature designed to develop independence, musical maturity, and advanced technical skills.

Beyond competitive success, the goal of the O’Connor Percussion Program is to develop well-rounded musicians and young adults who understand the value of preparation, accountability, teamwork, and excellence. Graduates of the program have continued performing at the collegiate level and with organizations throughout the drum corps activity, including Santa Clara Vanguard, Phantom Regiment, Genesis, and Seattle Cascades.

Through high expectations, diverse performance opportunities, and a commitment to individual and ensemble growth, O’Connor Percussion strives to provide students with an experience that prepares them for success both on and off the stage.

The Sandra Day O’Connor High School Colorguard is a performance-based program dedicated to developing confident, expressive performers through dance, movement, and equipment training. We believe excellence is built through strong fundamentals, hard work, artistry, teamwork, and a commitment to growth.

During the fall, the O’Connor Colorguard is an integral part of the O’Connor Panther Band, rehearsing, traveling, performing, and competing alongside the musicians. Guard members develop strong dance and equipment skills while helping bring the visual and emotional elements of each marching production to life. After marching season, the program transitions into winterguard, allowing students to further explore movement, storytelling, musicality, and performance. The O’Connor Winterguard program includes both Varsity and JV ensembles, giving performers opportunities to grow at different stages of their training.

The Varsity Winterguard competes in A Class and has earned two State Championship runner-up finishes, the 2025 State Championship title, and recognition as a WGI Regional Finalist. The JV Winterguard continues to serve as an important developmental ensemble and earned 3rd place at the State Championships last season.

While we are proud of our competitive success, O’Connor Guard is about more than trophies. Our goal is to develop disciplined, resilient, expressive performers who support one another, embrace challenges, and take pride in being part of something bigger than themselves.