Hi all,

I wanted to take a moment to address something that will be new to the band and football audiences at our first home game this week.  Due to the football collaboration between Quaker Valley and Cornell High Schools, we will have the pleasure of hosting the Cornell High School Marching Band as a home band addition at four home games this season (9/7, 9/14, 9/28 and 10/26).  There are a couple of things you can expect:

***Cornell HS Marching Band will present their field show from 7:10-7:20 as the kickoff for pre-game entertainment.  Their marching band students, like our own, have worked hard over the past several weeks to put together a field show.  I’d like to encourage all parents, friends and family of the QVMB who plan on attending home games to arrive a little earlier than you might have otherwise and show your support for the band!  While we may not be able to guarantee them a large audience, we can guarantee them an enthusiastic and supportive audience that appreciates their efforts on the field.

***The opportunity to have a combined “mega band” at home is too good to pass up and students from both schools are excited about the sound that 110 marching band musicians will be able to create together.  After Cornell performs their field show before the game, both bands will take the field to greet the home team, play the QV fight song, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the QV Alma Mater.  Cornell’s band has shown exceptional goodwill throughout this football collaboration by learning our school’s traditional songs to ensure that Quaker Valley Football will be cheered on by Quaker Valley’s traditional tunes.

***In the stands, the QV and Cornell bands will be seated together.  Cornell has graciously taken the time and effort to learn all of the stands music that QV uses, and we are happy to have them joining us in playing those tunes.

***Our marching band will perform our halftime show as we normally do, and conduct business in the stands as we normally do.

It’s important to us that the Quaker Valley community understands that the QVMB has not conceded anything we normally do at football games to the Cornell band.  Rather, where convenient for us and beneficial for our students, we’ve asked Cornell to join us in our traditions so that their band students may have the opportunity to be a part of a marching band with a purpose, present the results of their efforts toward learning a field show to an appreciative audience, and support their Cornell classmates who are proudly wearing QV uniforms and playing/cheering for QV for love of the game.  In terms of change, this means nothing to our students other than the opportunity to collaborate in a positive way with their band peers from another school.  And for parents, family, friends and community members, it means nothing other than having the opportunity to appreciate and show support for the three bands that will now be present at home games instead of the usual two.  While Cornell football and cheerleading are now a fully integrated and indistinguishable part of Quaker Valley football and cheerleading, Cornell Band is still independent and self-sustaining–proudly the most prominent and successful student activity in their school district.  They need and ask nothing from you (and I’m asking nothing from you) other than smiles and applause in appreciation of their efforts.

Our students are exceptional and I have no doubt that they will lead by example in welcoming Cornell’s band into what they do.  On Thursday morning, the QVMB and Cornell HS Marching Band will meet at QVHS to get to know one another, rehearse our combined pregame routine and practice some logistics for getting in and out of the stands.  On Friday, I hope you will be around to see and hear both groups and that you too will lead by example to those around you by showing your support for music education.

All the best,

CN