Noteworthy Bobcats

By Jacob Barnwell, Westerner Staff
The students of the Drexler Middle School Band, located in Farley, have been working extremely hard since the beginning of August, practicing every other day to make one of their most important appearances of the season-Western Dubuque's Homecoming Parade in Epworth- a successful one. At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, the band stepped off in the parade and had a great performance. The band played a march tune and a drum cadence that impressed and enthralled the crowd.
The tune that the band played is entitled "Colonel Bogey March."  This tune was originally written for the Royal British Marines by F.J. Ricketts, a British Army Band Master. Tanner Barnwell, a member of the band, described the tune as "[a]n upbeat song in a classical way that makes you want to dance."
The drum cadence was a mixture of a rock beat and a typical drum rudiment for marching bands. Some of the other members of the band have described it as "[a] fun cadence to play and an easy song to dance to."
The Middle School Band has also made recent appearances at the Peosta Kids' Day Parade in Peosta on Sept. 10, the Homecoming Football Pregame Show in Epworth on Sept. 23 and the Drexler Marching Band Concert at the middle school in Farley on Oct. 1. As this month's Noteworthy Bobcats comes to an end, I would like to commend the members of the Drexler Middle School Band for their hard work and dedication to the arts. I would also like to congratulate the director, Mr. Charles Oldenkamp, for his hard work and dedication to his many students. Good luck in your future performances!