INWOOD, W.Va. — One of the staples of high school and college football is the sound, spirit and pride of the marching band.
This year’s edition of the Musselman High School Applemen Marching Band will take their halftime performance to new heights by honoring first responders. Entitled “The Extraordinary Ordinary”, the program is broken into three parts: police, fire and EMS.
Musselman High School Band Director Michael Knepper said on Friday’s ‘Panhandle Live’ the show’s concept has been brewing in his mind for several months.
“I was very intrigued with local heroes. I had some music that I lined up with them that I thought went with their roles. I thought it would be really good for the kids to just shed some light on what these local heroes do for their towns and neighbors.”
While Knepper carries an administrative role with all components of Musselman’s band program, he has a team of instructors and student leaders to collaborate with and help each season run smoothly.
“Right now we’re at the beginning stages so a lot of people are very excited. That helped me tailor some ideas as well, getting a lot of inputs and feedback. How should we do this? How should we interpret this? It’s been very fun. I’m having a great time working with this.”
Knepper said much like other productions, the show will grow and evolve as the season progresses. Some changes audiences will notice later this fall will include additional musical selections and moving props.
“The activity itself, from high school marching band to indoor percussion and indoor colorguard, has added a lot of athleticism and physical attributes to it. But they also have added the themes of Broadway and actually getting more out of what you’re trying to interpret.”
This season, the Musselman High School Band will perform “The Extraordinary Ordinary” at all home football games and eight band competitions.
Learn more about the band and follow their progress this season on their Facebook page.