Lennox Marching Band rides the ‘Waves’ with 2025 Show
- Lennox Independent Staff
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Lennox High School marching band is ready to make a splash this fall with its new show, “Waves.” Director Ellie Brockmueller said the program promises to be both visually exciting and musically fun, drawing inspiration from the ocean.
“Our marching band show this year is ‘Waves,’” Brockmueller explained. “Last winter my junior high concert band learned a piece entitled New Waters, Old Waves, and that sparked the idea of doing an ocean marching band show. I started researching and spinning ideas and realized that there’s a lot of fun visual and aural ideas we could do in a show. At first it was going to be a more serious show, but then we found Surfin’ in the USA by the Beach Boys and Come Sail Away by Styx, and we decided it needed to be a fun day at the beach.”
That fun will come through in the performance.
“You’ll see and hear a lot of fun elements: crashing waves, beach towels, schools of fish, and we even have a big surfing moment,” she added.
The band recently wrapped up its summer band camp on Aug. 8 and had their Parent Preview on Monday, Aug. 18.
“The students know all of their spots on the field and have their music memorized,” Brockmueller said. “We are working on deep cleaning both music and marching as well as adding more fun visual elements.”
This year’s group boasts strong sections across the board.
“We have a ton of hardworking and talented students this year and there are many standouts,” she said.
The color guard is the largest it has ever been at 15 members. The mellophones—all seniors—are featured heavily, with Tiegen Black taking a solo and Elijah Johnson serving as the show’s “fearless surfer.” The trumpets are featured twice, and a quintet ensemble will spotlight Lauren Anacker (trombone), Grant Buhta (trumpet), Noah Sitter (alto sax), Thomas DuChene (alto sax), and Sam Bambas (bari sax). Drum majors Miriam Welch and Duncan Johnson will not only conduct but also perform solos.
From a musical standpoint, Brockmueller said this year’s show is pushing the students in new ways.
“We have some very fast tempos, and we’re working on cleaning up timing of both music and marching during those sections. We’re also working towards more dynamic contrast, so our music sounds like waves getting louder and softer,” she said.
Visually, the challenge is figuring out how to make the surfing moment look convincing on the field.
The band has set clear goals for the season.
“Their goals listed on the band room wall are: get 1% better every day, have fun, get first place at a competition, and make finals,” Brockmueller said. “We also talk a lot about how we want to develop a show that is fun and enjoyable for the audience to watch and fun for the students to perform.”
This fall, the Orioles will compete at five major events: Pursuit of Excellence (Marshall, MN), Tri-State Band Festival (Luverne, MN), Big Sioux Review (Brandon, SD), Festival of Bands (Sioux Falls, SD), and the Dutchmen Field Championships (Orange City, IA).
The LHS band will also perform at three home football games and host their annual Indoor Show.
Brockmueller encouraged the community to get behind the program.
“Come watch our show and cheer us on! We’d love some audience participation when we do the wave,” she said.
Fans can also follow Lennox Bands on Facebook to track the group’s progress through the season.
2025 LHS Marching Band Roster
Drum Majors
Miriam Welch (12) – Drum Major / Clarinet; Duncan Johnson (11) – Drum Major / Tenor Sax
Woodwinds
Alto Sax: Thomas DuChene (12), Noah Sitter (11), Ryken Stenzel (9), Sophia Onnen (9), Zada Storm (9)
Tenor Sax: Duncan Johnson (11), Maddigan Van Sickle (11), Kodi Scott (9)
Bari Sax: Sam Bambas (11)
Clarinets: Miriam Welch (12), Reba Schroeder (11), Summer Deboer (11), Lily Kezar (10), Sierra Wesseling (10), Quinten Lunt (9)
Flutes: Allison Schulz (11), Liz Hanisch (11), Blair Bostwick (10), Olivia Johnson (9)
Brass
Mellophone: Elijah Johnson (12), Tiegen Black (12), Xander Millar (12)
Trumpet: Aden Voeltz (12), Gavin Swier (12), Emma Snyder (10), Grant Buhta (10), Keegan Vander Plaats (10), Jonathan Weisenbach (9), Darek Krohn (9)
Baritone: Nate Arens (12), Isaiah Sayler (11), Wyatt Crichton (10), Lauren Anacker (9 – also Trombone)
Tuba: Eli Holtz (9), Heath Schroeder (9)
Percussion
Battery: Alec Gates (12, Bass 2), Leo Aesoph (10, Bass 3), Isaak Booker (10, Bass 4), Chase Hazuka (9, Bass 1), Emersen Lee (12, Snare), Chase Gervais (10, Snare), Lukias Johnson (10, Snare), Noah Oien (12, Tenors), Jacob Carlson (11, Drumset)
Front Ensemble: Alissa Johanson (10, Piano), Harper Walsh (9, Bass Guitar), Natalie Aesoph (9, Aux), Emily Reiser (8, Aux), Harper Lee (9, Marimba), Finley Rops (8, Marimba), Jaxson Johnson (9, Vibes), Liam Sitter (8, Vibes)
Color Guard
Seniors: Cheyenne Pick (12), Karson Iken (12), Mackenzie Gilland (12)
Juniors: Loralei Larry (11), Ariana Poppens (11), Rylee Lottman (11)
Sophomores: Alaina Klenner (10), Brooklyn Seelan (10), Olivia Homan (10), Tayla Washam (10), Ella Ellwein (10), Willow Booker (10)
Freshmen: Karissa Iken (9), Devyn Koopal (9), Morgan DeHaan (9)
2025 Marching Band
Performances & Competitions
Sept. 20 — Pursuit of Excellence – Marshall, MN
Sept. 27 —Tri-State Band Festival – Luverne, MN
Sept. 27— Big Sioux Review – Brandon, SD
Oct. 4 — Festival of Bands – Sioux Falls, SD
Oct. 11 — Dutchmen Field Championships – Orange City, IA
Halftime at three home football games:
Sept. 19 —Lennox vs. West Central Homecoming
Oct. 3 — Lennox vs. Canton
Oct. 10 — Lennox vs. Madison
Oct 28 —Annual Indoor Show & Dinner