12 - Organizations

WEBSTER MARCHING BAND

When Esther Dunn had finished writing Webster…Through the Years in 1970, there was no high school marching band. Webster High School had an excellent music program and many talented musicians, but it would be fourteen years before music teachers Paul Maginn and Fred Weingartner organized a group of students. Their first performance on Saturday, November 3, 1984 took place at the Village Fire Hall to raise money for Marching Band uniforms. Undaunted by their lack of uniforms, the band continued to raise money by donning matching sweaters and raising funds as the “Yellow Sweater Band.” Directors Maginn and Weingartner enrolled their school band in the New York State Field Band Competition program.

By 1985, there were 121 members of the Webster High School Marching Band who rehearsed the customary three musical selections to compete with 11 other bands in their class. Their performance of selections from En Sueno, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jesus Christ Superstar won first place at their very first competition in Oswego on September 30, 1985.

The young but successful program and its reputation grew quickly and when Marcus Whitman dropped their hosted show, WMB stepped in and quickly organized its first Autumn Fanfare show on October 4, 1986 (a show tradition still going strong heading into its 33rd season in 2019). That year the band marched in 12 parades, including its first time featured in the Lilac Parade. In 1988, they marched in 13 parades, judged first in all of those adjudicated. Another highlight that year was playing for Mitch Miller’s surprise 77th birthday party. In 1989, the band placed first in every one of its competitions.

The Band continued through the 1990s to do well, winning awards at competitions, and entertaining the audiences there. The WMB saw increases in the number of band members, consistently over 150 for much of the decade. In 1996, they competed in the Grand National Band Championships in Indianapolis.

In addition to local competitions, the band has participated in many large shows such as the Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl, Fiesta Bowl National Championship in AZ. In order to pay for these shows, the band families raise money with can and bottle drives, craft days and weekends, car washes, garage sales, food sales, spaghetti dinners and other creative endeavors. Local organizations such as the Grange and businesses such as Wegmans and Hegedorns provided much-needed financial support as well. With its annual participation in competitions, shows and multiple parades, the band has established itself as a community organization as well as a multiple-school organization, currently drawing students from Webster’s four secondary schools: Spry, Willink, Schroeder and Thomas.

Early in the new millennium, the musical selections were organized into themes. Some original music, written by band directors and musicians, has been featured. The story told by these performances enhances the experience for the audiences at shows. Though the size of the band has decreased from150 in 2000 to 53 in 2017, the band continues to win honors for performances. One highlight was the band’s extraordinary wins in the 2010 National Outback Bowl Festival in Tampa, FL. They placed first among three bands in the top division of the competition, were named best color guard and also Grand Champion of the entire marching band competition, which included 24 bands from 15 states. (Information from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, January 3, 2011. ) Upon their return to Webster, the Webster Marching Band was met at the Bay Bridge by Webster Police and Fire crews who led them back to Schroeder to be met by a cheering crowd of families and friends.

In 2011, Webster Marching Band created Webster Percussion Theater, an indoor competitive program scheduled between show and parade seasons. The group placed second in their division in their first year and in 2014, were champions in their class. From 2017 through the winter of 2019, Jerbrel Bowens was the director of Webster Percussion Theater. A former student member of WMB Jerbrel became its director in spring, 2019. Kidets began as another new program in 2013. The program gives young musicians marching band training and experiences. The children especially enjoy marching and performing for the children’s parade in the village in July each year. The WMB calendar also includes the weekend and summer band camps, which provide additional training for the band during competition seasons and over the summer.

The Webster Marching Band is supported by the Webster Marching Band Boosters, an organization of parents that helps students and staff with its extensive fundraising, organization and supervision of travel and anything else needed by the Band. They are creative, energetic and indefatigable. And they are absolutely essential to the existence of the band at every level.

The Webster Marching Band trains and entertains year ‘round with Winter Percussion Theater, Competition Season and an extensive Parade Season within the Webster community and by invitation from other communities as well. The hard-working musicians and staff and boosters continue to live the motto adopted at the band’s formation: “Excellence Through Class, Style and Pride.”

Directors/Assistant Directors

Paul Maginn/Fred Weingartner 1983-1988

Paul Maginn/Steven Landgren 1989-1998

Richard Fischette/Steven Landgren 1999-2008

Brian Wilt/David Hamilton 2009-2010

Brian Wilt/Chris Caraccilo 2011-2013

Steven House/Chris Caracillo 2014-2015

Steven House/Paul VanHorn 2016-2017

Paul VanHorn/Jerbrel Bowens 2018-2019

Jerbrel Bowens/Joe Sciolino 2019-

Sources

WMB Archives

WMB Website: https://webstermarchingband.webs.com/achievements

https://webstermarchingband.webs.com/alumni

NYSFBC website: https://nysfbc.org/score-archive/

2019