And the Band Played On

"Maple River Pep Band Performs Through All Conditions"

There’s a common saying that the captain must go down with the ship. But the band, too? Legend holds that in the infamous 1912 sinking of the Titanic, Wallace Hartley’s eight-member band provided a little pep as the ship began to sink. This humble band kept the calm as the 1st class passengers loaded onto rowboats. Unfortunately, the rest of the passengers of the Titanic, including the band, perished (although there is a legend that the cello player almost made it back to Greenland).  In the best of times and in the worst of times, bands provide the soundtrack to our big moments (which include icebergs some days). 

The Maple River pep band is no exception. In a typical year, they’ll play around 20 performances over six months, which range from outdoor performances (football, cross country, and tennis) to spontaneous performances for state qualifiers. When teams advance to state, the performances can reach upwards of 30. Since pep band is a graded portion of band curriculum, members are expected to attend, but with high participation in extracurricular activities, the composition of the band varies from night to night. For basketball player Gavin Halvorson, he’ll show up dressed as Clark Kent, jump into his phone booth, and minutes later, run out onto the court to play Superman. “It’s so fun to support all of the sports and to play songs that we wouldn’t play during concerts. It’s great to see the reaction from the fans as well,” Halvorson explained. “As a trumpet player, everyone knows we aren’t the quietest instrument, and during pep band we really get to show how “loud and proud” we are!”

(Junior Gavin Halvorson found time for pep band during a basketball doubleheader.) 

Beginning in the fall, Pep Band Director Josh Tonkin spends several days rehearsing favorite songs and learning new ones. “When choosing pep band music, I try to find music that is upbeat and that I think the students would enjoy,” Tonkin explained.  “If I can find new, popular music, there is generally more buy-in from the students, and everyone has a better time.” For senior Jackson Walters, whose favorite song is “Rock Lobster,” he enjoys the flexibility that pep band allows. “Obviously you would not play this loud for concert band because you want to get everyone “hyped up”. Also a lot of people play different instruments, for example I play trombone and cymbals. If you're in percussion you play toms, snare or bass drum.  If you play flute, you might be playing piccolo. If you play oboe, you could choose what you want to play.” While pep band allows students to try different instruments, it also allows them to play with different styles, which junior Layne Davis noted, “For me, playing the tuba is more of a controlled thing when it comes to playing on stage. You have to remember to play with good tone and dynamics. On the other hand, pep band is when the only things that count are energy and volume. Normally, I’m the only tuba player at pep band, so I really just get to play and have fun!”

“I’m So Cold”

While a gig playing for the Titanic might’ve been a little colder than a typical pep band experience, weather can be a factor when performing. With  blankets and keeping the mouthpieces warm, frigid temperatures can make performances even more memorable. “My favorite pep band performance is definitely football because we get to be outside and under the lights,” Halvorson insisted, but Walters doesn’t have such temperature tolerance. “I hate when it's too cold or too hot. If it's too hot I sweat, if it's too cold my instrument is harder to play.” Mr. Tonkin agrees what it does to the technical aspects of playing. “While I enjoy being outdoors, it’s hard to beat a gymnasium packed with students and fans listening to us play.  Being indoors, we’re able to fill the space with music, and it really adds to the overall atmosphere.” Although the winter sport  season ironically means warmer conditions, if the sports teams are successful, the band will often have to travel also, which is some Mr. Tonkin must account for in a yearly schedule. “We typically only travel for postseason games, and it’s a great way for our students to get to experience the postseason games.  Students that play with the pep band get into all the away games for free, and they do not have to worry about transportation.  Watching our teams during the postseason games is always a great time, and being able to provide music for these games is an added bonus.”

Oh Captain, My Captain

Just as Captain Edward J. Smith shared the fate of the Titanic band, Director Joshua Tonkin also goes through the same ordeals as his band. Not only does he suffer through frigid football performances and bus rides to state games, he’ll join right in and play his trumpet. While he’ll put in a typical 8-4 day in the band room, he’ll spend even more time with his students during nights that pep band plays. “While I really enjoy doing pep band, the long nights and multiple nights away from home and my family definitely takes its toll.  I’m thankful that my children are getting older and now can handle coming to pep band, and they love jamming with the band.  Additionally, the students I have are great with my children, and most nights, I don’t even see them when they come to pep band.  Pep band certainly makes for long days, but it has turned into a family event, and I love that my children are being raised with music being a part of their lives.”  During Tonkin’s first year at Maple River, COVID restricted what could be done with band, so he went above and beyond and added more outdoor pep band performances. “We added tennis and cross country to our schedule, and that was met with such positive feedback, that we’ve kept the tradition going.  Playing for these two sports is certainly unique to Maple River, but I feel that it’s important to celebrate all our athletes.”

(Director Josh Tonkin leads by example during pep band performances.)

Never Letting Go

For Tonkin, music has always been a part of his life. “Growing up, I was heavily involved in our band program and always looked forward to pep band.  Once I got to college, I was able to continue playing in pep band for the SDSU pep band.  This experience allowed me to go to every home basketball game for free, and I got to travel the country with the basketball teams.  Maple River is my second teaching position, but it’s the first position that allowed me to direct pep band.” His love of pep band has transferred to his program veterans, who learn valuable leadership when working with younger players. Halvorson notes the importance of mentoring. “With a younger band this year, we see a lot of changes and a lot of new learning experiences for the entire band. As a section leader I try to encourage everyone to play it with confidence whether it’s right or not. Learning from failure is very important! Not only that but also helping them realize that it should be fun, and it’s okay to make mistakes.” For senior Jackson Walters, the next few games will be his last at Maple River, so working with youngsters allows him to impact the next generation. “Without having someone to listen to and understand how the part goes it would be hard to understand how some of the songs go. There are no recordings for most of them and as the years have gone by things have been changed within the music to fit our band more.” And for the next generation of Maple River musicians, the band will play on. 

(Junior Layne Davis lets his tuba blast at full volume for pep band performances.) 

For Jackson Walters (trombone), pep band allows him to play a variety of instruments. 

(Originally Published with the Maple River Messenger)