Marching Hounds march into fall

The Maryville High School marching band is tuning up for its first performance of the 2012 football season.

This year's halftime show is a jazz-inspired compilation featuring the work of Duke Ellington, the Blues Brothers and Victor Lopez.

MHS instrumental music director Burke Shouse said the show starts off with the Ellington swing classic, "Caravan," then moves on to "Soul Man," a rhythm and blues hit written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter and first popularized by Sam & Dave before becoming a standard for the "Saturday Night Live"-inspired Blue Brothers.

The performance will also include a rendition of Lopez's "Galeon."

"I'm very excited for the year," Shouse said. "We are having fun with it, the kids enjoy the music. I think everyone will really like the show."

Currently the band is working on "Caravan," but Shouse said all three songs will be in the repertoire by the time the ensemble plays at its first competition on September 22.

The MHS band program has grown dramatically in recent years. Currently 59 student musicians and marchers participate, up from 40-odd last year, including the flag corps.

"We had a good eighth-grade class that came in," Shouse said. "And our current kids are getting better and better every day."

He also said that with the current numbers at the middle school, MHS should have a 100-member band within the next three years.

This year's group will be busy. On top of playing at all home games and pep rallies, it will perform during several competitions.

The first is in Carrollton and will be followed by a trip to Park Hill on Oct. 6. After a two-week break, the Spoofhounds head for Trenton on Oct. 20.

This year's band season comes to a climax with the MHS homecoming parade Nov. 3, which happens to fall on the same day as the district contest.

"They said they can probably put us up front in the parade," Shouse said.

"So we'll march in the parade with the bus waiting, jump in and head to districts."

But that level of activity is exactly what Shouse believes to be one of the band's strong points.

"These kids have a really good work ethic," Shouse said. "And that will go a long way."