The OHS community can agree that the school would not be the same without our musical courses and extra curricular activities. However, one musical group that continuously takes the spotlight is the band. The OHS bands, directed by Mr. Peter Guenther, are divided into three groups- Husky, Varsity and Concert, each taking on different pieces and having different levels of difficulty to play.

Outside of the school day, there are various band extra curricular activity. During the late months of the school year and into June, the marching band is in full preparation for their performances. They perform anywhere from seven to nine parades during the summer. Their last one is the OHS homecoming parade

Another band oriented extracurricular, the jazz band, has had a less extreme start to the school year, with weekly rehearsals starting during the month of October. Guenther is looking forward to seeing where the jazz band will play this year, hopefully getting out into the community as well as playing at jazz festivals.

The most acclaimed and well known extracurricular group is the pep band. Supporting Owatonna’s athletes through it all, the spirit the band members have for music and their school truly rings in the community. Guenther is proud of the pep band and all of their hard work. He said, “It uses music as a spirit tool to generate excitement and keeps the fans interested… I think the pep band performances are a direct reflection of the quality of music education at OHS.”  The pep band will continue to play at home football games, as well as games for volleyball and boys and girls soccer.

The band truly holds its presence and respect in the high school. Guenther said, “In music, there’s two different levels; there’s the visual aspects which is what the community expects to see, things like marching band and pep band. There’s also a learning side. You have to have a really solid in the chair education to make the others work.” This continues and will continue to hold true. Catch the pep band at the home football game this Friday at seven, or come to the first band concert of the year which is Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.