Oskaloosa Marching Band Prepares To Impress

The Oskaloosa Marching Indians preparing for the 2019 season. (photo provided)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa High School Marching Indians have already been hard at work, building the skills to impress the home crowd, and impress judges at competitions.

The band is under the direction of newcomer Mr. Chris Copeland, who is now the band director for Oskaloosa High School.
The music for the performance will come from Queen and Led Zeppelin, and Rachmaninoff. “It’s kind of a neat little mixture there,” says Copeland.

The show the band will perform is about eight and a half minutes in length, and roughly 120 students are out for marching band this year. An additional 18 students make up the color guard.

Tim Gray was hired to write the drill for the band. The drill is the steps a band makes during their performance. Lisa Peters has designed the color guard choreography.

The band’s first official competition is on September 21st, but they are working to hammer out most, if not all, of their routine for the Indians home opener on August 30th.

Copeland is new to Oskaloosa this year, but he’s not new to marching band. He began his career at Lynnville-Sully, where he spent four years. He then went to West Branch for the next two years, before deciding to go back to the University of Northern Iowa to earn his Masters.

After graduation, Copeland was hired by the Oskaloosa School District.

Copeland says that the students are enjoying playing the classic rock show and that the students are just really dedicated to the strong tradition of the program. “It’s been a very positive experience.”

Copeland said it’s exciting to see the students buy into what’s going on with the program. “They’re doing a great job.” He complimented the staff that has helped to make the young season what it is, and helping with the transition.

Copeland says that the performance should engage the audience, “It’s going to be music right off the bat that’s really going to give them goosebumps.”