Hiland band to debut song inspired by boy with Batten disease

A spring concert at Hiland High School will carry more than the usual sound of brass and percussion on May 11. At 7 p.m. in Millersburg, the Hiland concert band will premiere a new composition inspired by a 10-year-old Ohio boy with Batten disease, giving the performance a meaning that reaches far beyond a routine school program.

The piece has been described as a song of joy, and that framing matters. This will not just be a student ensemble presenting concert literature. It will be a public musical response to a child’s life and struggle, with Hiland students helping turn a personal story into something the wider Holmes County community can witness together.

The concert will be held at Hiland High and Middle School, 4400 SR 39 in Millersburg, with a mailing address of PO Box 275, Berlin, OH 44610. That makes the event easy for families, alumni and supporters to find, but the draw is larger than a standard performance listing. In a county where school events often bring together multiple generations, the band’s premiere will function as a shared moment of encouragement as much as an arts showcase.

East Holmes Local School District says its mission is to inspire excellence and prepare students to be productive and responsible citizens through strong leadership, dedicated staff and a supportive community. A concert like this fits squarely within that purpose. It shows student musicians using their training not only to perform, but to participate in a work that connects school life to empathy, service and public support.

Hiland Bands’ archive also shows the program regularly presents spring concerts, which makes this premiere stand out even more. The school has a tradition of seasonal music-making, but this performance adds a distinctly personal layer, one that ties student musicianship to a young Ohio boy’s story and to the community’s response to it. For Holmes County, the evening offers both a familiar school concert and a rare chance to hear a new piece born from compassion.