No marching band this summer

Staff

Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008

By Sarah Kirchner, AlbertLeaTribune.com

Due to the lack of student interest there will not be a full Albert Lea High School marching band performing this summer.

“There’s just not enough student interest to make it work,” said ALHS band instructor Jared Eastvold.

In the past, the high school has had more than 100 students in the marching band. This year, according to Eastvold, almost 30 students showed interest.

“We wouldn’t have looked good, we wouldn’t have sounded good, we wouldn’t have represented our community well,” he said.

As an alternate option, ALHS will be presenting a drum line of 20 kids and a color guard of eight members to perform in area parades throughout the summer months. The drum line will consist of quints toms, snare drums, base drums, cymbals and tenor drums playing a variety of cadences.

Albert Lea is not the only city showing a lack of interest in marching band programs, this was the reason the Festival of Bands was canceled this year — only nine bands registered for the Father’s Day festival.

Across the Big Nine, the case was the same.

“Numbers were really floundering,” said ALHS Principal Al Root. “It’s becoming a trend because of so many factors.”

Root said there a multitude of other activities kids are involved in taking them away from marching. That and the cost of transportation weighing in on activity costs are all playing a part in the discontinuation of marching bands.

“It’s unfortunate, but I think it might be a little change in the times,” he said.

On top of low numbers, Eastvold has put in his resignation. At the end of the current school year he will no longer be the band instructor at ALHS.

Eastvold said when he was hired he was strongly encouraged to build up the marching band program. Band numbers in general are a little down this year and next, which is comparable to what’s happening in the Big Nine, he said.

“I’ve done the best that I could to turn it around,” Eastvold said, “and it didn’t happen.”

The fact that he couldn’t get the marching band program up and running did weigh in a little bit, he said, on his decision to resign. And students knowing Eastvold is going to resign may have deterred them from signing up, he said. Many students in the band program went through an “upheaval,” Eastvold said, when former band instructor Scott Fitzsimonds resigned at the end of last school year to pursue an administrative position.

However, the temporary director being brought in for the summer is excited to get started with the drum line and work with the color guard.

“I have such a fun time with it,” said Ben Faugstad, who has served as a temporary drum line director on multiple occasions for local bands.

A 2003 Alden-Conger alumnus, Faugstad has rehearsed with the present drum line twice, but already has great plans for them.

“They’re very excited and dedicated,” he said. “It will be a welcome surprise to people.

“I hope that it’s a wonderful experience for the students,” Faugstad continued.

On Monday, the Albert Lea school board will rule on hiring new band instructor Peter Gepson of Triton High School for the coming school year, said Root. Gepson has seven years of band instruction experience at two different schools, he said.

Schedule

Tentative drum line and color guard appearances*

May 26 — Memorial Day event in Albert Lea

June 14 — Town and Country Days in Mapleton

June 20 — Straight River Days Parade in Medford

June 21 — Morin Lake Days in Alden or parade in Faribault

June 23 — Thunder Drums in Mankato

June 28 — trip to Valley Fair

July 3 — Third of July Parade in Albert Lea

July 4 — Fourth of July Parade in Austin

July 16 — Festag Parade in Minnesota Lake

July 19 — Forest City, Iowa, parade

*Schedule subject to change

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