Bob Foos
Aaron Stockton video
Fresh from winning the state championship last week, the Webb City Cardinal Pride Band is going back on the road Friday to the dome in St. Louis to compete in the Bands of America Super Regional Contest.
Last Saturday, the Cardinal Pride Band won the Missouri State Marching Association Class 5 State Championship at Columbia’s Battle High School. When the buses returned at 3 a.m. Sunday, students awoke to police cars escorting their buses on Stadium Drive.
Webb City competed against eight other bands in the preliminaries and made the top-five cut to perform again in the finals. The other schools in the finals were Rockwood Summit, second; Branson, third; Willard, fourth, and Battle, fifth.
In addition to the championship, Webb City won three caption awards for outstanding music, outstanding visual and outstanding visual effect.
Band director Butch Owens notes that the Cardinal Pride Band’s winning score would have also been the top score in Class 6.
The band’s contest success is a change for the students… and their director.
Owens, who has been at Webb City for 13 years, admits to being a former “hater” of contests.
Twenty to 25 years ago, he says directing high school bands was just a matter of playing pop tunes during halftime and going to a couple of contests.
“We still need to entertain; that’s job one,” he says. “But we want to make sure it’s fulfilling for them (students).”
By preparing for contests, Owens says his students “are into it more. It means something to them.”
There’s also meaningfulness in this year’s show, “When the Lid Closes.” Owens sums up the theme by saying it draws on the emotions, with music, one goes through when alone.
As the lid of the music box opens and a ballerina dances, the band and its music are joyful. When it closes, there’s a feeling of loneliness. The mood changes to anger and sadness. But then there’s happiness again. As a single ballerina leaves the field dancing, there’s a realization that even when we are alone, we can find joy.
During the performance of the show – twice – on Tuesday for band friends and family, a group led by assistant band director Spenser Cullumber was given credit for coming up with the idea for the show.
In addition to practicing for a final time before heading to St. Louis, Owens said he wanted parents who are usually at field level supporting the band during the halftime shows to be able to see the program from the grandstand.
“Do you believe in them?” and their chances at the next contest, he asked the applauding crowd.
The band’s accomplishments this competitive season began with winning the first-place trophy at Carl Junction. Then came ninth place at Bentonville, when they scored more points than ever before.
“We were the second smallest band in the finals,” says Owens. “So for us, that was a big accomplishment.”
He explains that “we sound bigger than we are because they bought into it.
“We told them at the beginning that they had a chance to be special. All they have to do is work hard.”
The band’s goal at St. Louis, where there will be 60 bands from several states, is to perform well enough in the preliminaries at 1:15 p.m. to be selected as one of the 12 finalists.
