"Pride of Niwot" Marching Band attends 2024 Greeley Invitational

The "Pride Of Niwot" Cougar Marching Band has once again been hard at work this season to put on yet another exceptional halftime show performance. The band has had many opportunities to perform its show, "Night at the Movies," primarily at home football games.

The band also had the opportunity to perform at the non-competitive event known as St. Vrain Band Night Oct. 9. This halftime show has featured a medley of Disney-Pixar songs, an arrangement of recognizable tunes from "Pirates of the Caribbean," concluding with selections from "How to Train Your Dragon."

On Saturday, Oct. 19, the Niwot High School Marching Band participated in a more formal competition known as the Greeley Invitational Marching Festival. Wade Hendricks, Director of Bands at NHS, took the marching band to this event for the first time in 2017 and attended until 2019, then returned to this event last year in 2023.

Like St. Vrain Band Night, this event is "another unique opportunity where [the marching band] can experience a positive atmosphere amongst peers who participate in and understand the dedication and discipline of this activity," said Hendricks. However, unlike St. Vrain Band Night, the Greeley Invitational is scored, and is considered a more formal competition.

After each marching band's performance, they were treated to an on-field clinic from one of the judges of the event. In this short, ten-minute feedback session, the bands were given ways to think about improving both their music and marching.

The NHS Marching Band's clinician was Dr. Frederick Brown, Associate Director of Bands for the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. Dr. Brown gave helpful insight to the band, offering ways to refine the band's work, and also made a special note to congratulate the color guard for exceptional choreography.

"We are so grateful to have our color guard instructor, Anthony Pierro," said Hendricks. Pierro is new to the marching band's staff at Niwot this year and has made tremendous strides with not only the color guard, but the ensemble as a whole.

"Niwot is historically considered a non-competitive band," said Scott Barto, drumline instructor for the 'Pride of Niwot.' However this is a great experience to understand what elements are required to be competitive, and another solid chance to see what other possibilities are available to implement into future shows."

Barto also spoke to the high level of performance the band displayed at the event. "This performance was easily the best performance we've had," he said, noting how proud he is of the growth he has seen in the ensemble since August.

While this is a formal competition where ensembles are given a score, there are no overall placements. However, there was an awards ceremony where bands were told their general scoring placement at the end of the event. Niwot walked away with a ranking of "excellent" at the event. Bands were scored on their musicality, marching, and general effect, with Niwot scoring the highest in general effect for the "Night at the Movies" theme and high energy.

All participating bands were treated to a special performance from the UNC Greeley "Pride of the Rockies" Marching Band as well. "It's always a lot of fun to watch students watch college bands," said Barto, "because it gives them the opportunity to see what's possible with music, marching, and high-energy."

Although the marching band season is coming to an end, the NHS Marching Band will perform its halftime show at the final football game on Thursday, Oct. 31, at Everly-Montgomery Field in Longmont. After that, the band will transition into a concert band setting, with a few opportunities to perform as a pep band at a handful of other sporting events during the winter. Band members will also have the option to go to the final football game of the season, an away-game at Mead High School on Friday, Nov. 8, as a pep band.