“I’m Just Amazed by It.” Layla Clark Reacts After Her School Band’s AC/DC Cover Goes Viral
“I’m just amazed by it,” Layla Clark said of the response to the video of her playing “Thunderstruck” with the school marching band. In a November 10 interview with PennLive, the 17-year-old Thomas Jefferson High School senior said she was still working on the part that millions of viewers had already heard her play. “Basically, I’m still working on it.”
Clark had heard AC/DC’s song before the band director suggested playing it. She had never tried to perform it herself. She had been playing marimba since middle school, and moving the opening guitar riff to the instrument still took work. She told PennLive the band had spent about a year and a half on the song.
The recording comes from the band’s 2025 marching season. It starts close to the marimba, where viewers can see Clark return to the bars as the riff repeats. The rest of the band comes in later, changing how much of the field the sound seems to fill. Clark credits the other players with making that moment possible.
The attention has reached the hallways at school. Clark said teachers had been particularly enthusiastic, and that some students stopped her to talk about the video. She described the other members of the band as supportive. For her, the best part was finding out that something she loved doing had made other people happy.
Some viewers have imagined her playing a Steelers halftime show or opening for AC/DC. Clark has a different next step in mind. She told PennLive she would like to study at Ohio State and play in its marching band. On Monday she met with her school counselor and sent the university’s band director an email that mentioned the response to the video.
The clip below shows the few moments that brought all of that attention. Watch how the opening riff moves from the marimba into the larger arrangement. Clark’s account makes it worth listening for the rest of the Jaguars as soon as they come in.
The school band behind the clip
Clark said she loves playing the song with the other musicians. “I couldn’t have done it without my band,” she said. The close-up captures the precision of the opening, and a wider view shows how the players around her contribute. The Jaguar Marching Band’s own channel has a recording from a separate 2025 game against Mars that lets viewers see more of the rock program.
What Clark hopes to do next
Clark grew up watching videos of Ohio State’s band and told PennLive she was looking forward to hearing back. She also wants to become a veterinarian specializing in exotic pets. She told PennLive she has two bearded dragons, three crested geckos, a dog and a cat. “Animals and music are my passion,” she said. At Ohio State, she hopes to study toward that career while playing in the university’s marching band.
CBS Pittsburgh also spoke with Clark after the clip took off. The report gives viewers another chance to hear her describe the attention in her own words and revisit the performance that brought it.
