By Ezra Caber & Megan Guerrero

As the planning step in the preparation for marching band competition season approached, band director Joseph Cooper knew that he needed something new, innovative, and unique to set the Granada Hills Charter (GHC) Marching Band apart from the competition. Cooper found the solution the marching band would need to shine; he hired an Emmy-nominated DJ.

Cooper revealed the news to his band students at their end-of-the-year banquet. They will be working with an Emmy-nominated DJ, stage name ShyBoy. He will contribute to writing the shows and adding more conceptual projects for the marching band.

Jason Arnold, also known as ShyBoy, was nominated for composing music in the documentary series, “Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror.” ShyBoy also worked on music for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Dynasty,” as well as created mash-ups on his albums. The mash-ups he composed are what inspired Cooper to reach out to ShyBoy as a way to help compose for the marching band’s shows.

“I’ve looked at the cool things the marching band has done in the past such as getting featured on TV and opening credits on movies,” Cooper said. “I want to bring notability, as well as more exposure and opportunities for the students.”

ShyBoy will be creating mash-ups for the opener and tunes that work for the band, and then Cooper plans to arrange more shows. As a music composer, ShyBoy plans to be a conceptual artist, collaborate on music, and consult the arrangements for these shows. With his help, Cooper hopes to make the marching band more distinctive and recognized through new opportunities.

“It’s definitely a better way for Band to extend its musical opportunities,” junior and Snare Section Leader Gavin Villasenor said. “Working with other musicians and extending our musical reach will help us be more well-known in the community.

In preparation for competitions in the 2024-2025 school year, marching band directors are in the planning stages as of this May. In this process, the show is created, music is produced and reviewed, then the marching band will be able to learn the music.