Michael Sewell was the band director in Pickerington from 1981 until he retired in 2015. The band's tradition of playing Amazing Grace dates back to an unfortunate incident involving a former Pickerington band student. A trumpet player had been injured and was in a coma. His parents brought some band music to play in his room, and when Amazing Grace started, he began to finger the notes as if he were playing his instrument. Ever since then, the band has played Amazing Grace as a warm-up to shows and competitions and for senior band night. This tradition survived the split of the schools in 2002. The PHSC and PHSN bands combine to play Amazing Grace at the end of the yearly Pickerington Band Festival.
