Marching Bands Invade Napa Saturday

On Saturday, The Vintage Reserve Band Review will host its 23rd Annual band review with over 30 bands from California participating in a downtown Napa parade, followed by percussion competitions at noon at Memorial Stadium.  

The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. and the grand finale of spectacular field show competitions at Memorial Stadium begins at 4:30 pm. 

Each year people ask us, what is the Vintage Band Review?  

It is an event hosted by Vintage High School's Marching Band and Color Guard where high school marching band and auxiliary teams compete in musical marching band field shows.  

The shows are individual for each school and represents a culmination of hours and hours of marching band and practice time.  

This year's band review will feature over 30 bands from throughout California and Oregon. It is a spectacular event to watch and one that makes Vintage High School's Instrumental program quite proud.  

Vintage High School has won many awards and competitions on a national and international level. This year marks the 26th year of the Vintage Instrumental Music Program under the direction of Bill Gantt. Over the years, thousands of students have placed their “musical” hand print on the walls of the music building.

This year, the music program caters to 116 instrumental music students. The music program is a combination of  classes that include Jazz, Concert, String Orchestra, Marching Band and Color Guard, Winter Percussion and Winter Guard. 

During the fall semester while the concert ensembles are settling in and becoming established groups, the Crusher Marching Band is preparing for their Fall performing season. 

The Marching Band & Color Guard preparation begins during the spring semester of each year. The choice for the music, the field show concept, the inclusion of new incoming 8th grade music students, selection, as well as a retreat are all part of spring planning.

Summer is the beginning of "sectionals" dependant on the instrument played, which is followed by an intense and memorable "band camp." Vintage students follow a laborious and intensive practice schedule outside of the classroom which involves many hours of their time.

By the time school officially starts in August, the normal marching band student has already put in 175 hours of time towards the Fall competition project, or show. By the time the season is over in November, the Marching Band student will have spent an average of 228 hours of rehearsal time.

This year, the performing Vintage Marching Band consists of 18 percussionists, 60 winds, 8 color guard and 1 drum major.

As the Napa Valley Unified School District USD ventures towards the new educational concepts of the "4-C's"(Collaboration, Communication, Creativity & Critical Thinking), the Performing  Arts  programs find themselves in common, familiar territory.

The 4-C’s are at the core and genius of what the Vintage Instrumental Music Program does and continues to do each year.

Over the past 26 years, the Vintage Music Program has paved a pathway for its students to go out into the musical world. Whether the students choose this pathway to pursue a college music degree, a vocational performance venue, a musical business career or as recreational/semi professional players, the music students are prepared for challenges.  

There is a direct correlation between music and scholastic achievement which is seen in the Instrumental Music students as they are driven to excel not only as musicians but also in scholastic achievements.

The Vintage Music Program exposes the students to an opportunity of life choices something that the program is proud to offer.

States Bill Gantt, "We have  hundreds of Vintage Instrumental Music alumni performing on the local community level, state level, and on the international level. There are also dozens of Vintage Instrumental Music alumni who have chosen careers in teaching as Music Educators that are currently teaching at various grade levels."

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