About

About the Bands

Following a tradition over 80 years long, the Reds Bands exemplify the spirit, pride and honor of Cedar High School. Over 150 band members each year work together to create exciting and expressive performances in the stands and on the stage--all over the state of Utah. The Bands are known for their quality, energy and power.

The Reds Bands comprise both large and small ensembles; studying and performing music from a wide variety of genres, eras, and cultures. 

Major goals of the band program include personal growth and enjoyment, building general musical knowledge on individual instruments, working together, problem solving, and of course, providing musical experiences for our school and community.

Symphonic Band is the flagship ensemble of the band program, consisting of the most advanced players. Participation is by audition; and, each year the (approximately) 60 students in this group perform the highest quality band music, showcasing their achievements at concerts, festivals, community events, and celebrations. 

Two developmental bands, Concert Band (by audition) and JV Band (open enrollment) provide engaging and encouraging environments for students of all musical abilities and interest levels. As with all of the bands, the focus is on development and advancement through personal growth. A focal, but secondary goal, is preparing students to perform more challenging music. Both bands perform at concerts and festivals.

Reds Jazz Ensemble is an award-winning group of the most advanced musicians in the band program. Regularly earning top honors at festivals, this group prepares and performs advanced literature from the annals of jazz history, as well as contemporary swing, rock, latin, fusion, and pop music. Participation is by audition and requires membership in one of the concert bands concurrently. 

Percussion Ensembles allow percussionists to perform classic and contemporary works for percussion, and to expand and develop their technique on, and knowledge of the instruments of the total percussion family. Each player learns to play keyboards, timpani, drum set, snare drum, hand drums, and many auxiliary instruments. Percussion Ensemble performs at concerts and festivals, and also staffs the percussion sections of each of the concert bands.

Reds Pep Band is perhaps the most exciting and impossible-to-ignore group at Cedar High School. Electrifying audiences at home football and basketball games, the Pep Band has developed a reputation for being musically exciting but also intimidating to opposing teams. The band is truly undefeated!

About the Director

Keith Sorensen graduated from Cedar High School in 1996, where he developed a lifelong love of band and band music as a member of the Redmen Bands. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Utah State University with emphases in Music Education and Percussion Performance. He earned a master's degree from Southern Utah University in Music Technology. 

Beginning his teaching career in Davis School District, Mr. Sorensen first taught at Layton High School (5 yrs), worked in the non-profit industry, and returned to teaching at Clearfield High School (4 yrs). He began teaching at Cedar High School in 2019, continuing the longstanding legacy of outstanding music education at Cedar High School.

Mr. Sorensen is an award-winning musician, educator, and performer. He is a life-long learner and his education and life philosophies are heavily influenced by friends and mentors such as Steve Shirts, Jay Lawrence, Dennis Griffin, Adam Lambert, Scott Hagen, Michael Huff, Dave Fullmer, Mike Bankhead, Peter Boonshaft, Craig Jessop, and many more. He has been described as, “inspiring…an exceptional musician and teacher.” A founding member of the nationally acclaimed Utah Wind Symphony, he performed in 2014 at The Midwest Clinic to an international audience. As an active musician, educator, and performer, Keith has worked with a diverse group of artists, entertainers, and students. From the classroom to the recording studio, his passion for people, music and life are infectious. He now lives in the Cedar City, Utah area with his wife and two children, and has a love/hate relationship with carbonated beverages and the Utah Jazz.

History of the Band

Bands at Cedar High have long had a reputation for quality and consistency. The top bands have qualified for their respective state festivals nearly every year for the past 30+ years, earning Superior ratings with great frequency. Nationally, the Redmen Jazz Ensemble performed at the opening session of 1993 National School Board Association Convention in Anaheim, CA, and the Marching Band performed at the 1996 Copper Bowl in Tucson, AZ. 

Cedar High School has had a total of 13 band directors from the year 1942 to present. Many are notable names in Utah band history, including Steve Shirts (32 years), A.B. Larson (13), Gene Helland (7), Harold Boyce (7) and Larry Wright (6).