Wildcat band plays U of I

KELLOGG –– Members of the Kellogg High School Band Program recently had the opportunity to travel to the University of Idaho to perform alongside the Vandal band.

The opportunity is limited to the program’s junior and senior members, so this year KHS band instructor Adam Ream took 14 students to Moscow to participate in the homecoming parade and then attend the football game.

Ream uses the trip as an unofficial college visit, as many students - especially the juniors - treat college like a far-off pipe dream.

“This trip does two things,” Ream explained. “It encourages college. Students get to see how fun college is and see that it's a possibility for them. They get to see the recent graduates of KHS enjoying college and ask real questions. It also encourages students to do music in college even if they aren't a music major. It fires up the kids. Students go to this and see how good the college band is and come back and work harder in the class here. When the small group of students come back with that energy, it spreads to the rest of the band.”

There’s a certain level of pride that Ream feels when a student who had previously spoken to him about skipping any sort of secondary education is suddenly figuring out how they can attend the University of Idaho and join the school’s marching band.

Gabe Janicek, a recent Kellogg High School graduate, now plays in the U of I marching band – the reality of seeing one of their former classmates in a college setting has a tendency to snap the kids into focus.

Seeing Janicek play in front of a packed house at the Kibbie Dome was a highlight for many of the kids and Ream believes that experiences like this play a major part in why the band remains one of the stronger programs in the school.

“When the year started, I asked the students why they chose to do band and nearly every student's answer had something to do with the social aspect of band,” Ream said. “They love to do trips and hang out with friends at all the late-night and weekend events. When someone joins band, it's like instantly gaining 50 best friends to go through high school with.”

To say that the Kellogg High School Band Program has its own following might be a dramatic understatement.

Whether it’s a seasonal concert or the opportunity to see them perform at a high school sporting event, it seems like everywhere they go they have people going out of their way to see them.

“I want to thank the community for the constant support of the music program,” Ream said.