By Serena Schmidt
To those who attended last year’s weekly football games, during the half time shows did you watch our school marching bands performances? The sound of all the instruments was pleasing to the ear and a beautiful sight as the student’s glode across the field. These beautiful shows may look easy, but there is a lot of hard work and early morning practices that go into making them performance ready.
It’s the beginning of a new school year as well as a new marching band theme. Jake Gassman, CCHS band director, gave the band students a variety of theme choices at the end of the last school year. The winner was Decades, which is a show with the concept of hitting the last couple decades of rock music, spanning across them with a song from each. Their opening song is “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder from the 1970’s, however the band is playing the Red Hot Chili Pepper version from the 1980’s. Then “Creep” by Radio Head, made in the 1990’s. Finally the students will end the show with My Chemical Romance the song “Welcome to the Black Parade”, which is a 2000’s song.
According to the students the music is harder this year but the band has put every ounce of effort into making Decades a show to remember. The students have been practicing since the end of last school year, over the summer, during the school year at seven o clock’ in the morning, as well as in class. Dates to see the band are on the 23rd of September for Algona band days, the 27th of September for the Forrest city invitational, October 10th for the state festival, and at the home games here at good ole’ CCHS on Friday nights. All this practice was for the people so go forth and enjoy the music freely provided to you from our very own CCHS Marching Band!
Pull quote: “The concept behind a marching band, well part of the concept behind a marching band is a completely student driven organization when it’s performing. I’m still over seeing everything and teaching it, but when it comes to a performance, my job is done at that point in time. The drum majors assume the role of the conductor for a performance.” –Jake Gassman
Other pull quote: Cydney’s last statement about band was, “It’s fun… when it’s not raining.”
It’s the beginning of a new school year as well as a new marching band theme. Jake Gassman, CCHS band director, gave the band students a variety of theme choices at the end of the last school year. The winner was Decades, which is a show with the concept of hitting the last couple decades of rock music, spanning across them with a song from each. Their opening song is “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder from the 1970’s, however the band is playing the Red Hot Chili Pepper version from the 1980’s. Then “Creep” by Radio Head, made in the 1990’s. Finally the students will end the show with My Chemical Romance the song “Welcome to the Black Parade”, which is a 2000’s song.
According to the students the music is harder this year but the band has put every ounce of effort into making Decades a show to remember. The students have been practicing since the end of last school year, over the summer, during the school year at seven o clock’ in the morning, as well as in class. Dates to see the band are on the 23rd of September for Algona band days, the 27th of September for the Forrest city invitational, October 10th for the state festival, and at the home games here at good ole’ CCHS on Friday nights. All this practice was for the people so go forth and enjoy the music freely provided to you from our very own CCHS Marching Band!
Pull quote: “The concept behind a marching band, well part of the concept behind a marching band is a completely student driven organization when it’s performing. I’m still over seeing everything and teaching it, but when it comes to a performance, my job is done at that point in time. The drum majors assume the role of the conductor for a performance.” –Jake Gassman
Other pull quote: Cydney’s last statement about band was, “It’s fun… when it’s not raining.”