Band of the Week: St. John's Jesuit High School Marching Band

Our final stop is at St. John's Jesuit High School.

The band is unique in that it brings in members from multiple schools, including St. Ursula Academy, Notre Dame Academy and Maumee Valley Country Day School.

The 41 members of the band are dedicated, too. Students start showing up around 3:15 p.m. for the rehearsals that last from 4-6:30 p.m.

Alongside the exciting band-style halftime show at the beginning of the football season, they prepare a competition show that they take to regional and state competitions in Ohio.

St. John's takes its talents to a variety of events in northwest Ohio. They performed at a competition at Maumee High School on Oct. 10 and began a new tradition this year of performing at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The band also competed at the recent Columbus Grove Eyes With Pride competition where they won third place in class B and took the First in Class award for percussion.

St. John's is also planning to participate in the Bowling Green Thanksgiving parade on Nov. 10.

Band members were grateful for the opportunity to be recognized.

"I feel really excited because we really have never been chosen before and our band has put in a lot of work this season and it's really just nice that all of our work is being recognized," field commander Andrew Zoe said.

Color guard captain Eva Pitson agreed.

"The football here gets all the recognition, the band here rarely gets any recognition so I'm really grateful for this opportunity," Pitson said.

WTOL 11 is proud to present the St. John's marching band as our eighth Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

Now, we're taking a trip to Swanton High School.

The 22-member marching band, including the color guard, began practicing for the season in mid-July.

"It feels really good because we do put in a lot of effort," senior drum major and low brass Kirsten Bates said. "We have three-hour practices every week and we've been practicing since July, so it's really nice to show that we've been putting in the same amount of effort as those sports teams are."

The hard-working band is small and primarily made up of underclassmen, especially freshmen. But, that pushes the freshmen to take leadership roles early and develop independence and flexibility sooner than they may have in a larger band.

"I think that even though our band is super small and there are bigger bands, we're just as qualified as the other ones and that they're all great," junior Alexzander Frye, an alto sax section leader, said. "There's no like, one thing, although there's competitions, it's all great in the end no matter what."

Their presence is felt in the community, too. The band will be playing at the school's homecoming on Saturday along with multiple community events including a parade on Thursday and a performance for Swanton Elementary School.

A trip to play at Disneyworld in 2024 is also under consideration.

Unfortunately, Swanton's band competition, which sees bands from the area and across the state gather in the northwest Ohio town, had to be canceled for 2023. However, the school plans to bring the competition back in 2024.

And of course, the band is looking forward to performing under the Friday night lights.

"I'm just excited to perform. That's my favorite part of every Friday is performing in front of an audience," junior Makenna Mortemord, a drum major and clarinet player, said. "It's amazing, and it's such a good feeling when you're done and to say you did that. It's a big accomplishment, and I'm really excited."

WTOL 11 is proud to present Swanton High School as our seventh Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

Next up is the Scott High School marching band.

The band has 45 members and prides itself on performing in the style of a historically Black college or university marching band under the direction of Scott Walter.

"It feels good because I've been in the band since seventh grade, and we never made Band of the Week, and I'm just happy to finally be on there," senior Jermaine Duncan, a snare drum section leader, said. "A lot of bands don't do what we do in the city, and we're just different than everyone else. Expect to be impressed."

The band is planning to travel to Wilberforce University to perform in its Homecoming Parade. In the spring, they are planning several band shows and competitions throughout the state.

Over the summer, the Scott marching band helped introduce boxer and Toledo native Jared "The Real Big Baby" Anderson for his fight at the Huntington Center.

Other local events they've played for have been the Toledo Art Museum block party and the Old West End parade. They've also performed nationwide in Las Vegas, the Bahamas, New York City and at Disney.

Band director Scott Walter said they have a long legacy that started with Guss Walker as the Marching 100 and then Edward Dixon as the Fantastic Dancing Machine.

"It makes me feel good because people try to talk bad about us, but I think we're good," senior Dana Bonds, an auxiliary captain, said. "We work really hard, and I feel like it shows on the field."

WTOL 11 is proud to present Scott High School as our sixth Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

The season continues at Sylvania Southview.

The band has 100 students for 2023 and has been rehearsing since the end of July.

They strive for improvement with every rehearsal, which lasts an hour and a half during the school day. That dedication is reflected outside of class, too, as the band puts in effort to represent their school well and show kindness to their fellow students.

"We try our best every day just doing what we do and I think this recognition means that we’re doing a good job and we just need to continue doing what we do doing our best," junior Quincy Bourell said.

Southview's band is a welcoming and safe space in the school community and rewards its hardworking members with special experiences.

Notably, they marched at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in 2022 and will return in 2026. They also show out for the local community in the Sylvania Fall Festival Parade and Memorial Day Parade.

Southview also hosts the Ohio Music Education Association large group adjudicated event which invites regional schools to perform.

Last, but certainly not least, is tradition. The band performs a song called "BITE" after halftime at every home game. The school and community look forward to the tune every week.

"It was really nice to get the recognition because we have a pretty rigorous schedule and we’re working our best, doing our best and it’s cool to get recognized for sure," senior Chris Laux said.

WTOL 11 is proud to present Sylvania Southview High School as our fifth Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

Now, we're going to Perrysburg.

The Yellow Jackets are a marching band of 130 members, with an additional 60 in the total band program.

Known as the "Pride of Perrysburg," the band adds a lot of energy and enthusiasm to all of the home and away football games.

"It feels good for the amount of work that we put in," said Perrysburg senior Jacob Stierman. "I'm excited and I hope it's a big morale boost for everyone to just keep pushing until the end of the season, keep rehearsals going and just hype everyone up for the football game. It means a lot."

Practice with new members and student leadership staff starts in the heat of the summer on July 31. Band camp rehearsals this year began on Aug. 2.

The marching band rehearses twice a week after school and has taken its talents far outside of Perrysburg.

They go to Walt Disney World every four years to march down Magic Kingdom's Main Street. The last trip was in November 2022.

"My favorite band memory is probably when we got to march at Disney," said Perrysburg senior Sydney Gankosky. "I got to go on a huge trip with a bunch of my friends that I've known for as long as I've been in band."

The music department as a whole brings its talents together, too, as the orchestras and choirs join the band for a "Crystal Concert" every other year that features all of the performing ensembles in the high school. A total of about 550 students come together during the 70-minute prism holiday concert, which will be happening three times in December 2023.

WTOL 11 is proud to present Perrysburg High School as our fourth Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

This week's stop is in Fremont.

The Fremont Ross Marching Little Giants are a band of 122 members strong, many of whom are student leaders who develop their leadership skills in roles such as section leaders, squad leaders and assistant squad leaders. There are seven band officers:

• Drum Major Quentin O'Brien
• Band President Ayden Moore
• Band Vice President Evan Beardmore
• Band Secretary Alyjah Jones
• Band Treasurer Taeva Hampton
• Band Junior rep Elandra Cooley
• Band Junior rep Gavin Jones

The band, in its 101st year in Fremont, is steeped in tradition. Previous directors were brought back last year to celebrate the 100th year of the band during an alumni band night.

The Little Giants take a page out of Ohio State University's marching band playbook, imitating the "Skull Sessions" that serve as a longstanding tradition. Three times a year during football season, the band marches from Fremont Ross High School to the Don Paul Stadium just over half a mile away.

"It makes me happy that all of our hard work is finally paying off and we're getting recognized for what we do," Hampton, a senior squad leader, said.

The band has been closer to the Skull Sessions than just imitating them, though. Annual reward trips show appreciation to the members for their hard work, and one year, the band went to a clinic session at OSU and performed at a Skull Session. Fremont Ross has also performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and went to Washington D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. They will be performing at the Anthony Wayne Marching Band Festival in late September.

"It feels very proud. I feel proud of our band. We work really hard," Beardmore, a senior, said.

The drumline begins practice in late July with a four-day percussion camp. Then, all of the students participate in a 10-day band camp that ends with a preview day at the Don Paul Stadium.

"I just think Fremont Band is the best band in the land," Moore, a senior, said.

WTOL 11 is proud to present Fremont Ross High School as our third Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

This week, we head to Wauseon.

Sixty members make up the band, which has been a 20-time OMEA marching band state finals performer.

The band is an integral part of the school culture and the Wauseon community as a whole, incorporating more than just the high school since 50% of the middle school student body is also in the band.

Senior saxophone player JoAnne Hite said being in the band brings a sense of pride from being part of a larger family.

"The excitement. Feeling like I'm a part of something," Hite said. "I could never play football, but being in the stands and being there, it's just such a cool experience."

The family puts in the work for its community, too. The music department has been making donuts in the Fulton County Fair for the past 60 years. Community members, school administrators, bus drivers and music department parents and students all chip in to help make donuts 24 hours a day and support the Wauseon music program.

The band supports each other and the members adapt to what different performances might need, too, thanks to strong senior leadership and students willing to change and learn new instruments.

The group has played in New York and Pennsylvania as part of a performance tour.

Members will be decked out for Friday's performance in new uniforms that debuted a few weeks ago. Music boosters purchased the new uniforms for the band for the first time in 18 years.

While the look might be fresh, Friday's performance will be a throwback when Wauseon takes the stadium to the 1960s.

"We are performing a 60s show," senior trumpet Autumn Garcia said. "Some songs from the Beatles, we have 'Hey Jude' in there. 'I Get Around' by the Beach Boys. It's a great show this year."

WTOL 11 is proud to present Wauseon High School as our second Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

We open the 2023-2024 marching band season at Springfield High School.

Audrey Hiser, a senior drum major, said bands play an important role in Friday night football.

And the 97 members that make up the Springfield High School band put in the work and then some.

"It just feels really great because usually the bands kind of get overlooked. We don't get that much credit for how much we actually do," Hiser said. "We put a lot on the field and we take a lot of time to be here and make our show look amazing. It's just nice to get noticed for it."

The band is more than just a band, too. They're a family that supports each other. The band's student leadership sets the standards and helps other members improve as performers and achieve their goals.

"We're very happy to see you guys out here doing this for us," said Maddy Stebbins, senior drum major. "I think I speak for everyone when I say thank you for doing this."

The group isn't all work, though. They'll be having fun with their Disney trip they take every four years, which is set to happen next year.

On Oct. 7, the Springfield Band Showcase will feature bands from the surrounding area and beyond in a competitive event.

WTOL 11 is proud to present Springfield High School as our first Band of the Week! Check out their full show below!

Looking for last year? Here's all of the action from our 2022-23 Bands of the Week.

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