The band program can be divided into three interactive parts: the Symphony Band, the Marching Band, and Solo and Small/Large Ensemble Activities (including jazz, percussion, and guard ensembles). Only through participation in all three aspects of the program may students fully achieve the goals and objectives detailed above.
The Ooltewah High School Symphony Band is the flagship concert ensemble at OHS. The Symphony Band performs a wide variety of original compositions and transcriptions written for band. The Symphony Band rehearses and performs during the fall and spring semesters.
The Ooltewah High School Marching Band performs at all home football games, most away football games, competitions and festivals, parades, and other special events throughout the fall semester. There is no audition requirement to participate in the Marching Band, but auditions may be used for percussion assignments and for soloist selection.
After-school rehearsals for the Marching Band take place on:
- Mondays from 3:00pm to 5:00pm (percussion and color guard only)
- Tuesdays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm
- Thursdays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm
The Ooltewah High School Color Guard are the marching band members who add color and visual expression to the musical performance, combining equipment work (flags, rifles, sabers) with dancing, choreography, and marching. Guard training begins in the Spring and membership is open to all upcoming and current Ooltewah High School students. Color guard members are not required to play a musical instrument. Color guard participants are full members of the marching band. Therefore, they are expected to participate in all marching band activities, to help with fundraisers, and they are required to follow all applicable rules and regulations contained in the band handbook.
The Ooltewah High School Jazz Band rehearses and performs music from the standard big band repertoire. No prior experience in jazz is necessary but band experience on a jazz instrument is required. Through ensemble rehearsal, individual practice, and a variety of performance opportunities, students will gain an understanding and appreciation for this great art form. Emphasis will be placed on rudimentary improvisational skills, a sense of personal accountability, and musicianship as well as performance techniques. Members will study and perform different forms of music including jazz, funk, blues, samba, shuffle, ballad, and rock. Each student is expected to show musical and technical growth through participation in this ensemble. The OHS Jazz Band rehearses during the spring semester, and the group’s rehearsal and performance schedule will be announced later in the year.
For a musician, participation in a large ensemble like Symphony Band is only one way to perform. Making music alone or in small groups gives students the opportunity to develop their skills in different ways and to learn musical independence. Opportunities for solo and chamber music performances such as Solo and Ensemble is a way for a student to get experience in these musical domains. Participation in solo and small ensemble performances will be taken into consideration when selecting students for end-of-the-year awards such as the John Philip Sousa Award.
The Winter Guard activity is a vital part of the growth for the visual program within the band. It is also a primary means for each individual member to grow as a performer. The Winter Guard begins rehearsing in December, and the season continues through March. For more information about Winter Guard, please see the OHS Winter Guard Handbook. Winter Guard performance is open to all interested students, including students who performed on musical instruments during marching season.
The Ooltewah High School Modern Band, also known as the “rock band” class, gives students the opportunity and resources to explore popular musical styles in an authentic, real-world learning environment through faculty direction, peer mentors, and self-teaching. Students who take Modern Band learn the basics of rock band instruments such as drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, as well as new instruments and programs which fall under music technology and production. Performance opportunities for modern band students happen throughout the duration of the class and are comprised of cover songs as well as originals written in class.