We mentioned the nearly completed documentary film about the award-winning Ballou High School marching band, called simply Ballou, in a previous, less up-beat post about some fights that broke out there during the first week of the school. The film is still in its final post-production stages, but while the filmmakers are busy mixing audio tracks, the student musicians who are featured in the film are getting ready for a visit from The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

At 9:30 p.m. tonight in the Ballou Senior High School football stadium, students and members of the neighboring community are invited to come sit in the bleachers for taping of a show which will air tomorrow at 11 a.m. on NBC4. Band director Darrell Watson will be in Ellen’s studio in Los Angeles for the taping, because Ellen has a “special surprise” for the school. If you go to the high school tonight, expect a performance from the awesome Ballou band and a whole lot of cheering and shouting from the crowd.

Care to wildly speculate about what Ellen’s giving the school? Certainly not debit cards or new cars for every student, but we’re thinking maybe brand new band equipment?