KEARNEY — The Kearney High School Bearcat Marching Band will be following the Yellow Brick Road during their “Wizard of Oz” inspired show, “Through the Trees.”
The members of the marching band could be found where they are each morning, at the practice field under the lights prior to sunrise.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the band was working with the cheerleaders and Kearney Dance Catz to practice their pre-game performance before moving onto practicing their show.
Band Director Nathan LeFeber was up in the press box directing the students to different places during the second movement. Director Rick Mitchell was on the field helping with the drill.
LeFeber said that the band is comprised of 175 students this year, including 30 members of the flag core and the drumline and pit members.
When asked what stood out to him about the band this year, LeFeber said this was one of the largest groups of incoming freshmen the band had seen in several years. He noted there have been many teaching moments during the early days of practice.
During band camp, which was held during the late summer, the first week focused on the fundamentals of marching and playing, alongside leadership training. LeFeber said this was refined in the second week as they started learning the show’s music and the marching drill.
The Kearney marching band this year is performing “Through the Trees,” which was arranged by Rob Stein, with percussion by Eric Kruse.
“Through the Trees” takes inspiration from the “The Wizard of Oz,” depicting a symbolic version of the journey down Dorothy’s iconic Yellow Brick Road,” according to the Standing D Marching website.
LeFeber said they chose the show based on the renewed interest in the “Wizard of Oz” due to the movie “Wicked” being released in 2024. Its sequel, “Wicked: For Good” will release in November 2025.
LeFeber added that the music and theme stood out to the directors when they were making their selection.
“It takes the listener through the challenges that are posed when we try to make changes in our lives, and the joy that eventually comes out of reaching the ‘Emerald City’ of success,” per the website.
There are three movements to the show, with the first being titled, “The Street.”
“An opening that might initially seem ominous grows into an energetic and forceful opening hit meant to evoke the mixed feelings we might experience while embarking on a new and unknown journey,” per the website.
The second movement is called, “Yellow Brick Road.
The ballad begins with an introspective feel, and allows an outstanding flute soloist to demonstrate excellence in tone quality across a variety of registers. Shades of Somewhere Over the Rainbow can be found throughout the early parts of this beautiful movement, and a trumpet soloist finally leads us into a lush impact statement of the iconic melody from “The Wizard of Oz,” the website states about the movement.
The third and final movement is titled, “There’s No Place Like Home.”
“Another tempo change brings a forward-driving energy into the final movement as we start to look “through the trees” to see what lies behind. We still hear small hints at melodic material from Rainbow, but this time the driving energy behind that material will keep the audience on the edge of their seats as they wait for a resolution,” per the website.
The Kearney marching band will take part in five different competitions this marching band season.
The first event will be Saturday, Sept. 20, with the UNK Band Parade and the Bearcat Marching Festival, hosted at KHS.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, the band will be attending the newly sanctioned Columbus Marching Parade in Columbus. LeFeber said this event has been sanctioned by the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association.
Kearney will travel down Highway 30 to Grand Island to take part in the 83rd annual Harvest of Harmony Parade and field competition on Saturday, Oct. 4.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, the band will travel to South Dakota for the Quad State Marching Competition, held at The DakotaDome located on the campus of the University of South Dakota.
The final competition of the season will be the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association State Marching Contest, on Saturday, Oct. 25. The west festival site will be hosted at KHS.
“Bands compete in an open class event although individual class champions are announced and presented with an award. All participating bands receive a placement award and caption awards are presented for Best Percussion, Best Auxiliary, Best Music, Best Visual and Best Effect,” according to the NSBA website.
Kearney was able to earn a division one, superior, rating during last year’s state contest.
In addition to the competitions, the Kearney marching band will be performing pre-game festivities prior to all five Friday night home football games and their show at halftime.
Follow the Kearney Bearcat Marching Band down the Yellow Brick Road by attending one of their performances this fall.
