Scott Weber is the band director for the Mount Vernon Marching Mustangs and has had a large impact on his students. “He helped me not to quit and he gives good advice to kids and really helps them out,” a senior member of the band said about his experience with Weber and the impact he has had.
“Marching onto the field for any performance, I just love seeing the crowd and feeling that rush,” senior Meg Dye said, describing her favorite moment in marching band. The Mount Vernon Marching Mustangs are one of the top 3A marching bands in Iowa. Band has created a place that helps students feel comfortable along with helping them find a group of people they can go to for help.
Weber himself remembers the excitement of being a trumpet player in his high school band, and was a trumpet soloist for all four years. He learned that seniority didn’t always matter and that the best kid is the kid that can do it well, not just for solos but being a leader and someone you can trust. Weber auditioned for a solo his freshman year with four other upperclassmen and he ended up getting the part.
Weber also participated in the Colts drum and bugle corps which taught him many things. His teaching career was inspired by his high school band director and his brass staff from the Colts. Weber wanted to help kids find their passion for music the same way his instructors taught him.
He has many important influences like his high school band director Arlyn Still, his brass instructors in the Colts, Chuck Naffier and Dean Musson, his marching instructors, Beth Wilson and Ron Coleman, and his main visual instructor and mentor Jeff Bridges. “He passed away a couple years ago and it was such a hard thing to get over,” Weber said. “He was everything I try to be.”
This year’s show that the marching band put on was titled “Among The Stars.” It was a very impactful and moving performance about the loved ones who have passed away. This show was intended to give the crowd a chance to connect with them. It was a very powerful show that would never fail to impress everyone from those who watched it from the stands or at home to those who are on the field marching it. Weber said that he enjoyed the entire performance “Not one part was not my favorite. I loved this show.”
Grief and loss affects us all at one point or another and it’s not an easy thing to deal with. This show is something that the band hopes that the people who watched it can look back on when they lose someone close to them or even just give them a chance to reconnect with them.
The show went above and beyond the crowd’s expectations and Weber said it’s because they had the perfect show and the perfect group of kids that made it so successful. The Marching Mustangs had one team standing in their way from the top: Independence Marching Band. The Marching Mustangs always followed close behind for years, just a few points away, but they knew this year with this show it’s the closest they have ever been to beating them. It wasn’t until the last show of the year when emotions were high with it being the seniors’ last show and the determination to end the year with an amazing final performance which resulted in a first place win.
When choosing a show to do, Weber’s band finds something that will move and inspire people, something no one else can pull off, something that keeps people in the stands when they perform.
Weber’s band is built on treating each other with respect and that doesn’t mean just the kids. The shows they put on would never be possible without the help of the amazing parents that help out. They do many things like help set up the field. Even if you aren’t helping on the field, just being in the stands cheering the Mustangs on helps out tremendously.
Being a band director has been a big part of Weber’s life. “We are not perfect. None of us. That’s how you motivate. We can ALL get better, including me,” Weber said. This is how he keeps the band motivated to do better. There can be high expectations but there needs to be leaders Weber can trust. And you need to trust the person next to you along with those that are leading you. With this students can become stronger not only as musicians but leaders and individuals.
Weber’s philosophy as a director is to love your kids, show them that you can be open about yourself and your expectations. You can have high expectations but just remember they are kids. With this Weber hopes his students leave the band with a new and stronger appreciation for music and knowing they have a group of people who are like a family.
“The band is in a good place,” Weber said. “I think next year’s show will be just as strong if not stronger than this year’s show.” Weber truly cares about his kids and can’t wait for another successful year.
