Members of the Golden Griffon Marching Band perform at the Gold Rush Pep Rally on Tuesday, Aug. 28. Bands from Central, Lafayette and Benton will join the GGMB for Band Day on Aug. 31.
Aug. 30, 2023–The Missouri Western State University Golden Griffon Marching Band will host a Band Day for more than 150 students from the three public St. Joseph high schools on Thursday, Aug. 31, including a pregame performance before the Griffon football team opens the season against Central Missouri.
The marching band students from Benton, Central and Lafayette High Schools will rehearse with the Missouri Western band at 3:45 p.m. After a pizza party in the Looney Complex, the bands will head over to Spratt Memorial Stadium.
At approximately 6:40 p.m., the Golden Griffon Marching Band will play the fight song and the alma mater, then be joined on the field by the high school bands for the National Anthem ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. The combined bands will then play pep music in the stands during the first and second quarters, and the high school students will have the chance to observe the university band’s halftime marching performance from field level.
“I did this when I was in high school,” said Dr. Matt Halligan, director of athletic bands. “To be on campus, to march and play with the college band, really meant a lot to me.”
Dr. Halligan would like to make Band Day an annual event, perhaps expanding to include other regional high schools.
Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.