The Iowa State University Cyclone Football ‘Varsity’ Marching Band (ISUCF’V’MB) performed in exhibition at Valleyfest Showdown Saturday night, showing off the fun of college marching band to hundreds of high school students from the Des Moines metro area.
During their performance, Iowa State not only performed one of their halftime shows, but they also played their favorite stand tunes, showing off all of the fun they have during games.
Valleyfest is the largest local high school marching band competition, hosting 30 schools each year. Having a college band perform is a bit of a treat.
Josh Waymire, a band director at West Des Moines Valley High School, said, “We have sporadically had college marching bands perform throughout our history, but it is not a regular occurrence.”
Waymire said performing at a competition with so many high school students in attendance provided them with the opportunity to impact younger marchers.
“Having a college band perform brings an added level of energy,” Waymire said. “It’s nice for the kids to be able to step back from the competition and just be able to enjoy a high-quality band performing for the purpose of entertainment.”
With the competition starting at 8 a.m., some of the high school students had spent over 12 hours at Valleyfest. Seeing Iowa State perform at the end of the night gave them the opportunity to sit back and enjoy what marching band is really all about.
Addie Kerr, a senior in vocal music education and one of the drum majors for the Iowa State marching band, said performing for high schoolers is a special experience.
“There’s something cool about the energy that we transfer to each other,” Kerr said. “It’s a stadium full of people that get it. They get what we do.”
Despite having performed in different NFL stadiums and having the opportunity to travel to Ireland to play, exhibition performances for high school marchers are the type of shows Kerr loves because it gives her the opportunity to show off the family she has made within the band and to give a glimpse of what is possible after high school.
Kerr is a high school alum from the Des Moines metro area and got to experience the ISUCF’V’MB perform back in 2018 when she was a freshman in high school.
“It’s a little surreal,” Kerr said. “It’s a little full circle moment. I saw this marching band back when I was a freshman and was like ‘Wow, college marching band exists, and it’s really fun and cool, and I want to do that.’ And here we are.”
Marlee Brown, a junior in finance and accounting who plays clarinet, said the experience of being back on the field was surreal.
“The last time I was on this field was my senior night, and it rained so we didn’t even get to wear our uniforms,” Brown said. “It was so surreal to be back on the field because I never thought I would be back here.”
Brown said she enjoyed hearing the audience’s reactions throughout the performance.
“It’s so fun to hear the gasp from the high schoolers as they start recognizing the songs we’re playing,” Brown said.
Rohan Patil and Anjali Thattankandy, students from Waukee High School, said they also felt the impact of having Iowa State there to perform.
“It motivates me to perform better. I think it’s a good opportunity for high schoolers to see what happens and how college marching bands work,” Patil said.
“I’m a senior, and it’s really cool to see what the next level of marching band is. It’s really inspiring,” Thattankandy said.
The ISUCF’V’MB will next perform at the Alumni Center on Oct. 24 for the Homecoming Pep Rally, and their next halftime show is during the BYU game Oct. 25.
