Marching Panthers to continue performing Melillo work for show

Marching Panthers to continue performing Melillo work for show

October 4, 2001

By Jim Thomas
Journal Sports Editor

Last year the Montezuma-Cortez High School Marching Band took second place with a piece by Stephen Melillo entitled "Stormworks" at the Class 4A Colorado Bandmasters Marching Championships in Denver.

This year, MCHS Band Director Rodney Ritthaler decided to take two other pieces by Melillo — actually another part of the same "Stormworks" music — for this year’s marching competition. The band is hoping to take its performance to the top level and bring home a state title.

"We really like his music. We first heard it the music back in March and decided to do his work again this year," Ritthaler said.

The Marching Panthers’ season will get under way this Saturday in Grand Junction. The band will march that morning in the parade and then in its field show that afternoon. The parade route will be down Main Street (on mall portion), while the field show will be held at Stocker Stadium on the campus of Mesa State College.

The first selection is called "American Knights," a series of pieces written to inspire the next generation of heroes, or "The Chosen." The piece is one part of Melillo’s "Stormworks," which contains thematic ideas dating to the 1970s. The greater, single message of the music is that it is "for all those to discover and enjoy," according to information from the composer.

"Godspeed," the second piece the band will perform, is powerful in that a lot happens musically. It is a youthful exhilaration of flight of an inviolable spirit, hectic confusion and innocent zeal. In a hero’s final hour, the indomitable will of the forever will rise in triumph, according to Melillo.

"It is a contemporary composition with a lot rhythm and percussion. There are a lot of tempo meter changes. It is quite demanding for them not only just to play but to march to as well. The kids feel a part of something meaningful when they perform it," Ritthaler said.

The drill was written by Jack Chambers of Boulder. The guard routine was written by Jim Demas of Albuquerque. Mike Sherpa of Loveland and Ritthaler wrote the pit percussion for the show.

Ritthaler is aided by assistant band director Erick Ashton. Maggie Tevault, who was the MCHS Cheerleader sponsor a year ago, is the guard coach.

The field show conductors are Brad Sitton, Lacyn Thorkelson, and Tattney Schumpelt. Backfield conductor is Jerome Tryon. The soloists are Matt Percy (alto sax), Jim Fisher (baritone), and Tracy Berhost (flute).

This year, the band is 82-members strong with 11 guard, three drum majors, nine percussion, seven pit percussion, seven flutes, nine clarinets, 11 alto sax, four tenor sax, seven trumpets, four melophones, seven baritones, and three Souza tubas.

New this year is the incorporation of a sound system. The pit percussion players and the soloists are microphoned. Ritthaler feels that should help the audience hear some of the music in a stadium setting.

Members of the band attended camp at the end of July, worked on the music and got much of the field show down. After taking a couple weeks off, the band resumed field practices to perfect the rest of the show. Many students also practiced before and after school.

They performed the first selection a couple weeks ago and then performed their whole show at half-time of last week’s Homecoming football game at Panther Stadium.

"I thought (that at) our performance at the game some really good things happened. We still need to work on individual marching. I think if we get individuals doing their job that should help the entire ensemble and only then will we do well this week at Grand Junction," Ritthaler said.

Because of scheduling this year, the band doesn’t have much time to clean-up any pieces of music or add much to field show drill. The Western Slope Marching Band Festival (Districts) is set for Thursday, Oct. 11, in Delta. State is slated for Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium Oct. 19-20.