Cougar Marching Band member Eric Power said he knows first hand how infectious school spirit is.

“(My family and I) had season tickets growing up, and we went to most of the home games,” Power, the senior trombone section leader for the band, said. “It was fun watching the marching band, and I grew to love it. I know it was something that I wanted to do too.” 

Current WSU students and WSU alumni recognize the Cougar Marching Band as a Cougar Gameday staple. The band is often the first of the fans to arrive at the game and among the last to leave, which is a testament to their inherent passion for the school.

“The marching band resides at the heart of Cougar spirit,” said Brent Edwards, assistant director of athletic bands and drumline instructor. “It creates an atmosphere of school pride and provides a venue for Cougs to come together and support our great Cougar Nation. Wherever the band is, you will find a crowd of Cougs.”

Power said he enjoys the genuine enthusiasm that he and his fellow band members express at the games.

“It’s always fun because you know that the person next to you wants to be there and cares about the team as much as you do,” he said.

Edwards said the band has such an incredible internal spirit because of the relationships the students build with each other.

“For the membership, the band also provides things like a sense of belonging, lifelong friendships, academic support, leadership opportunity, and travel,” Edwards said. “After a week of all-day rehearsals each new band member begins their college career with a group of friends greater in number and diversity than most other first-year students.”

Don Hower, the director of athletic bands, said he has invested his time in creating a band that WSU students and fans could be proud of. Since his arrival at WSU in 1991, Hower has managed to increase membership in the band from 50 students to more than 175.

“He holds education to be a very important part of the program,” said Chris Wurst, field and music instructor. “Not only does he feel that the students of the band should be learning key musical and marching concepts, but he feels that students can apply other concepts learned through marching band, such as time management, personal responsibility and respect, to their everyday lives.”

Jessica Dennison, the alto saxophone section leader, said the efforts Hower made to ensure the band’s success came from his passion for the program and the students involved.

“He’s been very invested,” she said. “He’s always quoted saying he can’t believe he gets paid to do this job because he loved being around kids, and he said it kept him young.” 

Hower’s passion for the program increased its visibility on campus and elsewhere, helping make it the spirit-filled program Cougar fans know today.

“We perform for more people on one football weekend than the rest of the ensembles in one year, combined,” Edwards said. “We are frequently heard on TV and radio broadcasts, nationally and internationally. We are also the largest student group on campus, drawing from almost all areas of study that WSU has to offer.”

Being the largest student group on campus, the Cougar Marching Band’s membership is diverse.

Dennison said the majority of its members are not music majors and don’t necessarily have a wealth of prior experience.

“The marching band is really far spread, so you can join if you can pick up an instrument and play it,” she said. “That’s why it’s so fun—it’s not strict, and it’s not competitive. If you have the drive, you can do it.”

However, the inclusivity of the program has not been at the expense of quality. The band practices more than five hours each week with additional practices during game weeks. Despite the long rehearsals, Wurst said he tries to maintain a positive environment.  

“I am always trying to instill a sense of pride for what we do while maintaining an enjoyable work environment,” Wurst said. “Occasionally we need to refocus and re-establish the reason we are doing what we do, but the majority of the time I believe that we try to have a lot of fun.”

The program has become a kind of family to its members. This sense of community is felt by students and faculty alike.

“If it wasn’t for this marching band I would not be living the life I am currently so blessed to live,” Edwards said. “It has helped me get through the darkest of dark times in my life, and more importantly, it has provided me a fantastic career. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would teach drumline for a living, much less do so as a faculty member at a Division-I university.”

Wurst said Cougar fans can’t help but sing along whenever the band breaks into a rendition of WSU’s favorite anthem.

“Whenever any Cougs hear the fight song being played they can say, ‘That’s my fight song, and that’s my Cougar Marching Band,’” he said.