I Heart Local Music
Why The Band Must March On
Posted Thursday, November 20, 2008
Recently, one of our fine reporters here at KTKA 49 ABC News brought this to our attention.
Evidently our beloved K-State marching band has, like much of the country, fallen on hard economic times, and are rallying people for help. They call themselves the most underfunded band in the Big 12.
Now on the other side, KU's Marching Jayhawks seem to be rolling in dough. A Garden City man, who has never attended KU, but loves their band, showered them with a $200,000 gift. Which is awesome, because the KU Marching Jayhawks rule. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a Jayhawk.
The Marching Jayhawks use their skills to help further high school marching bands across the state.
Here's a piece I did on them when Greensburg led KU's Band Day parade after the massive tornado that destroyed the town.
College marching bands do their part to help music in Kansas. Sometimes, it even goes unseen.
When I was in high school, I was a percussionist in the school's marching band.
It wasn't always glamour and fame in the marching band. At first our dear little marching band in my darling hometown was struggling. Attendance was low, and at games, less than half the band members would show up for the pep section.
Then along came one of my most influential high school teachers. He was a bustling ball of energy, ready to put the love of music back in the students. This man pulled out every trick in the book. I came to the band and said I wanted to join, but didn't know how to play any band instruments (I only played piano, guitar, and fiddle). He said "Not a problem! Now you're on percussion!"
As for the high school games, this is where he really pulled some strings. Our pep band was lackluster, and at the time, not very good. So he called up some friends at K-State, and they sent two trumpet players all the way to little old Minneapolis, Kansas for a basketball game. They sat with us in our tiny section of the tiny gym. And when we scored, they stood up and played fight songs so loud you could hear them a block away (which is incredible in a town of about 2,000). Some people darn near had a heart attack when they popped up and played, because it was so loud and fast. It was so exciting! THIS was what pep band was supposed to be!
But did it ever make the news? No. Were they rewarded for their efforts? Nope. But this moment was etched in our minds forever, and we truly appreciated the K-State Marching Band for helping put the love and true understanding of music into the student body.
That's why I'm hoping for the best with the K-State marching band. Click here for more on how to help keep the pride.
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