Cougar band ready for new season

VWHS Marching Band news

The Van Wert “Cougar Pride” Marching Band is ready for the start of another great season. Hundreds of hours of preparation, five days at band camp, 12 hours of August rehearsals and nearly one week of school and the band is now ready for its first performance of the season.

This season the band will perform at all 10 varsity football games, the Van Wert County Fair Band Show, Homecoming Parade, pep rallies, a season finale concert and more. All told, band members will have nearly 20 performances before the end of October.

This season, the band presents a series of shows called “Pure Imagination” (a journey to dreamland). It is a look at the imagination of dreams and uses music that is inspired by dreams.

Show 1 is entitled “Once Upon a Dream” and features “Pure Imagination” (from Willy Wonka)”, “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurhythmics, “Sweet Dreams” by Beyoncé, and “Imagine” by John Lennon.

Show 2 will feature the eighth grade band students, who will join the high school band for a show called “Teenage Dreams” and will feature “Dreams” by Miley Cyrus and “Teenage Dreams” by Katy Perry. Show 3 is entitled “Twice Upon a Nightmare” and will feature “Pure Nightmare”, “The Wall” by Pink Floyd, “Creep” by Radiohead, “Bully” by Shinedown, and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

Other highlights of this season include the third annual football season alumni band (September 6), as well as Eighth Grade Night (September 20), and the traditional Senior Night (October 25).

Of special note this year are new raincoats purchased with funds from the Van Wert Band Parents. The new red coats replace coats that were decades old. Also new this year is a new set of mellophones and baritones purchased through the Van Wert County Foundation. And finally, a new drumline was purchased in part through the Van Wert County Foundation and in part through an anonymous donor.

In advance, the band would like to thank all uniform parents, chaperones, stadium helpers, truck drivers, bus drivers, the Band Parent Executive Committee and Van Wert Band Parents organization for all of their tremendous help in making the band look and sound good.

For more information on the band, visit its website at www.vanwertbands.org, “like” it on Facebook at Van Wert Bands Information, follow them on Twitter at @vwbands or call the Music Department at 419.238.3722.