Many would consider themselves the ultimate fan by watching every game or cheering the loudest. Yet those viewers have nothing on Holmes middle school’s band director, Luis Perez.   Perez is not only a Washington Redskins football fan, he cheers them on from the stands in more ways than one. While working in a local music shop, he encountered a fellow musician who participated in the Redskins’ marching band. After contacting the director he was given the chance to audition. This is Perez’s 17th year playing in the band.

Are you a Redskins fan yourself?  Yes I am a Skins fan. If not I would not be in the band.

When do you play on game nights? We do a march around which is walking on the outside of the stadium like the marching band here does the pep train. We also play a pregame show which is very similar to what the marching band does during the half time, just not as involved. We play two selections and march for one and stand still for the other. We do a pregame show versus a half time.

When else do you play?  We also do parades. We will do a Fairfax 4th of July parade, a halloween parade in Vienna and then a Silver Spring holiday parade and a Christmas parade. We also play on the Elipse one Wednesday night in the fall.

Is this a paid or volunteer position?  It is a compensated volunteer position so I don’t get paid but I am given two tickets to every game. The band sits in the band section and I like to say my wife gets paid for me being in the band.

Do you plan to continue your participation? I do. I hope to get into a new stadium and get out of that massive  thing that I don’t like. Their lease expires in 2025.

What kind of people are in the band?  All kinds. There are 120 wind and percussion players, so actual band members, and 25 band directors of all four levels; elementary, middle, high school and even college bands. The rest are people who were just musicians in school. We’ve got all walks of life. We have lawyers, engineers, police officers, plumbers, and nurses. We have litterally the gamut.

Have you ever met any of the players? We are not allowed to speak to the players. We enter and exit the stadium through the same tunnel as the team. So if I am lucky, I might leave at the same time as someone and say ‘good game.’

Being a teacher, a father and playing in the band must take up a good amount of time. Would you say it is worth it?  It is. It gives me somewhere to play. I mean there are other venues I could do but I like the marching aspect of it. I like the sports team aspect too. It does take up a lot of time. We have to be in side 2 hours and 15 minutes before the game starts and then stay until an hour and a half after the game ends. So thats at least a 7 hour, if not a 9 hour day. It tends to be a long, long time. I have my own school stuff, marching band Sundays and Wednesdays, so the rest of my time is spent shuttling my kids from one place to another and staying here to do whatever paper work and get music ready, things like that.

How does the outcome of the game affect you?  Its funny. My kids who have had me before will know the Monday after a bad game, I am usually wearing dark clothes and I am not in a good mood. And after a good victory I am wearing Redskins’ gear and I’m excited. Those Sunday night games that start at 9, that is killer. When the game ends, if we win, we will usually play for another 15-20 minutes after the game is over. We just play music out of our book for who ever is left.

What is your most vivid memory while in the band? I have several. Being on the field when a popular player is introduced is very cool. The stadium can get so loud at the fild level. My first memory is being on the field for the first game and watching a bomber [plane] do a flyover from the field. It was very impressive. But my most vivid memory is being there for a game after 9-11-01 and holding a massive flag that stretched across the entire field. It was very moving.

Students say you have a party trick. How long can you hold your breath?  1:33.07 minutes. I just timed myself.

Did you ever imagine yourself in this position? My dad and I went to 2 preseason games when I was a kid. I remember walking through the gates at RFK [stadium] and then under the lights seeing the band in stands. I never would have guessed that one day I would be a member of the Washington Redskins Marching Band.

How do you think the band adds to the team spirit? It is exciting when we are playing in the stands and everyone is singing “Hail to the Redskins.” We also walk around the outside of the stadium and play at different locations. Fans get pumped and dance and sing when we go by. The band is also important because of its history. It is 75-years old this year and is the only marching band in the Football Hall of Fame. Many other teams have drum lines and other types of live musicians but us and the Ravens are the only ones with a marching band.    

Why do you love music? Music is something that can bring us all together regardless of where we are coming from.