Ferris Band Preparing To Strut Its Stuff On International TV
The Ferris High School band is playing a lot of big, brassy music this fall.
Not just so the football fans at Joe Albi Stadium can hear the band clearly at halftime shows, though.
No, Ferris band director Dave Weatherred is hoping big, brassy music draws international TV coverage for the band and drill team when they march in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.
“The president of the Rose Parade was here for the Lilac Parade this year, and he said we need to play big, brassy music in front of the TV cameras because if you don’t, they go to commercial,” says Weatherred. “When 450 million people worldwide are watching, you don’t want it to be a commercial when you march by.”
The Ferris band and drill team began their march to the Rose Parade a year ago when the Rose Parade Committee asked the band to apply.
“We sent a videotape of us doing parades and field shows for football games,” Weatherred says. “They wanted a parade video, so we sent the TV tape of the Lilac Parade.
“Our resume included everything the band has ever done, a description of the uniforms, the number of brass and woodwind players. It was very extensive.”
In December, the Rose Committee called Weatherred and asked if the band could march in straighter lines than it had on the videotape.
Unlike many parades, the Rose Parade has just one corner on its entire 5-1/2-mile route. But it’s a critical spot in that the more than 100 TV cameras line both sides of that corner.
And, while most corners are 90 degrees, this one is about 120 degrees, a challenge to practice until Weatherred set up a similar corner on the Ferris field.
Weatherred is hoping to secure time in a hangar at Fairchild Air Force Base so the band and drill team can practice in a large indoor space through November and December.
To make the Pasadena trip, the band and drill team - about 200 students - must raise about $250,000 by Oct. 31.
“The groups have done a lot of performances to raise money and have sold about everything you can think of,” Weatherred says.
“Our biggest fund-raiser is selling Entertainment Books. We also auctioned off a trip to Pasadena for the parade.”
Those who want to see the Ferris band and drill team in action before the Rose Parade can line up for a five-mile pledge parade Oct. 26 on the South Hill. The band is taking pledges per mile for the parade. The route, however, is yet to be determined.
The band and drill team will perform at football game halftimes at Albi Stadium Oct. 4 (8:30 p.m. game time), Oct. 18 (5:45 p.m.), Nov. 1 (5:45 p.m.) and Nov. 7 (5 p.m.).
Donations for the Rose Parade trip may be sent before Oct. 31 to: Ferris High School Marching Band Rose Parade Trip, 3020 E. 37th, Spokane, WA 99223.
To make pledges for the South Hill parade, contact a Ferris band or drill team member, or call 353-3256.
Looking around Hutton
The Hutton Elementary School open house for parents is tonight from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. The first half-hour is a PTA reception in the gym. Classroom sessions begin at 7 p.m.
The Hutton PTA is also gathering information for the PTA Directory, to be available later this year. Parents who want a directory should contact the school.
Others may be interested, too
The interests of students are diverse, and often the clubs that form reflect the variety.
At Sacajawea Junior High, foreign-language clubs are mainstays, but others on the list of clubs this year include a Trek Club, Aerospace, Earthwatch and Computer clubs, and Movie, Magic and Role-Playing Game clubs.
Students at any school interested in forming a club should contact someone in the school office or a teacher involved in that specialty. The proposed club will be posted and announced in classrooms, and if there’s enough interest, a club will be formed.
, DataTimes