Purdue News

September 14, 2001 Purdue Band Day packs musicians from end zone to end zone WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Thirty high school marching bands from Indiana and Illinois will help the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band accomplish its goal of flooding Ross-Ade Stadium with color and music on "All-American" Band Day, Saturday, Sept. 22. Bison, Tigers, Cougars, Pirates, Panthers, Falcons, Cardinals, Eagles, Red Ramblers, Warriors and more will fill the stadium, as more than 2,000 musicians and auxiliary members pack the annual Purdue event. The bands will perform music by classic rock groups such as Aerosmith, Styx and the Moody Blues in the halftime program for the football matchup against the University of Akron. The Boilermakers' gridiron success has resulted in a "happy" problem for Purdue University Bands. More bands want to participate in Band Day than the Ross-Ade field can accommodate, so the bands staff was forced to limit the number of bands performing to 30. Benton Central Band director Shirley Robertson, who has brought her Marching Bison Band to Purdue for 10 straight years, considers the event a winner. "It’s an easy decision to come," she says. "The Purdue Band Day is such a warm, fuzzy day for all the performers. Every musician who performs at halftime is just overwhelmed by the power of music." The expanse of Ross-Ade Stadium, the huge crowds and the chance to play alongside college musicians all provide an unbeatable lure, Robertson says. "Here’s a freshman playing his little trumpet surrounded by all that ambiance. It makes your heart go. It’s so cool. What a great memory you’re giving that kid, and he’s only on the 30-yard line," she says. Fitting the 2,200 musicians and auxiliary members on the field presented a challenge to the acting director of the "All-American" Band, William D. Kisinger. The assistance of a high-tech computer program was needed to individually plot the position of each musician. Even then, the program crashed twice in the process of charting the huge halftime show. Each band practices the selected rock tunes on its own before coming to Purdue. The bands then join the "All-American" band for an intensive Saturday morning rehearsal prior to the Ross-Ade performance. "The Story in Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues begins the show, followed by Steven Tyler and Aerosmith’s "Walk This Way" and Styx’s "Come Sail Away." All the tunes were arranged by John Wasson, a Purdue staff arranger based in Dallas, Texas, who also arranges for the Dallas Cowboys Band and the Dallas Brass. The participating schools are: Attica HS Red Rambler Marching Band, Attica; Dave Barber, director. Benton Central HS Marching Bison, Oxford; Shirley Robertson, director. Bloomfield HS Marching Cardinals, Bloomfield; Trent Tilford, director. Calumet HS Marching Warriors, Gary; Thomas Wright, director. Carroll HS Marching Band, Flora; Jason Gornto, director. Caston HS Comet Band, Fulton; James Byrn, director. Cathedral HS Pride of the Irish Marching Band, Indianapolis, Kathy McCullough, director. Churubusco HS Marching Pride, Churubusco; Mark Cheshier, director. Crawfordsville HS Marching Athenians, Crawfordsville; Rebecca Gardner, director. Delphi HS Marching Oracles, Delphi; Mark Fridenmaker, director. Downers Grove North Trojan Marching Band, Downers Grove, Ill.; Brayer Teague, director. Edison HS Marching Band, Lake Station; Bridget Fine, director. Kankakee Valley HS Kougar Marching Band, Wheatfield; Kenneth Steidle, director. Knightstown Panther Band, Knightstown; Chris Holland, director. LaSalle HS "Pride," South Bend; Daniel Balog, director. McCutcheon HS "Pride of McCutcheon" Band, Lafayette; Neil McCutcheon, director. Michigan City HS Wolfpack Marching Band, Michigan City; Michael Morse, director. North Central HS Marching Panther Band, Indianapolis; Charles Kunz, director. North Vermillion HS Marching Falcon Band, Cayuga; Jeanne Hershberger, director. North White Marching Band, Monon; Jason Gardner, director. Portage HS Marching Indiana, Portage; Michael DePasquale, director. Peru HS Marching Tiger Band, Peru; Diane Haley, director. Riverton Parke Marching Panther Band, Montezuma; Michael Frame, director. Rochester HS Zebra Band, Rochester; Barry Frisinger, director. Shenandoah Raider Band, Middletown; Cathy Marshall, director. South Vermillion Marching Wildcat Pride, Clinton; Glenna Gibbs, director. Tipton HS Marching Band, Tipton; Mark Sternberg, director. West Central Trojan Band, Francesville; Michelle Lane, director. Westview HS Marching Warriors, Topeka; Mike Brown, director. Wheeler HS Marching Bearcats, Valparaiso; Brian Grenier, director. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Media interested in interviews should contact Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations at (765) 496-6785. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page