On October 19, 2024, the Middleton High School Cardinal Marching Band captured its first-ever state championship at the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Marching Band Championships at UW-Whitewater. The Cardinals edged out nine-time defending champions Oak Creek by a score of 86.650 to 86.275 to claim the trophy. Middleton also won caption awards for Best Musical Performance and, for the third straight year, Best Color Guard.
“The band worked exceptionally hard this year as individuals as well as lifting each other up to achieve the highest level of success possible. We pride ourselves on having every student participate and work hard for the group. There’s no bench in marching band—everybody has to do their part. We’re really proud of the hard work and determination of all of the members of the program this year and are thankful their success was displayed on the field,” said band director Eric Rothacker.
The band also went undefeated at local competitions throughout the season, including first-place finishes and Best Percussion awards at competitions in Waukesha, Stoughton, and Sauk Prairie.
In marching band competitions, each band is scored by a panel of judges across multiple categories. These include both visual performance (how precise the band’s formations were and how uniform the band looked) and musical performance (whether the band sounded good, was in tune and on time, and showed good musical phrasing). There are also specific judges for the percussion section and for the color guard. The judges’ scores are used to calculate the band’s total score out of 100 points.
The 200-member Cardinal Marching Band starts practicing in August—though the percussionists and color guard start earlier—with three weeks of band camp. In just a few short weeks, new students have to learn how to march and play their instruments at the same time. “It’s a pretty steep learning curve,” says Michael Ver Voort, one of the band directors. “Not only do new students have to learn all of the fundamentals, but the whole show has to be on the field before school starts. We don’t have time to learn new sets during the school year.” By the time band camp is over, the band knows the entire show—about 50 sets of drill (the formations on the field).
The intensive atmosphere of band camp also brings students together. “It’s so much work, and the days are really long and hot, but everyone supports each other, and we have a lot of fun hanging out and learning the drill,” says Ben Zumbrunnen, MHS senior and head drum major for the band. There are dress-up theme days and lighthearted competitions between the different sections of the band.
Once the school year starts, the band practices just once or twice each week. Students work hard to commit the music and drill to memory and achieve a high level of precision and musicality. The more polished the performance, the higher it will score in competition and the more impact it will have as a halftime show. Throughout the season, the band performs at home football games and competitions around the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Each time, they load four large trucks with a ton of instruments, percussion equipment, and visual props. “It’s a lot of loading and unloading,” says Evelyn McLay, MHS junior and one of the student equipment managers. “But eventually, we find a routine, and it gets a lot faster. I love ratchet straps!”
Each year, the show has an artistic theme. The band’s show this year was called “Lined With Gold” and featured an 11-foot prop vase on the field. The theme was based on the Japanese art form of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired using gold. The gold highlights the cracks, celebrating their role in the history of the object. The band’s prop vase broke apart during the production and was reassembled with gold at the end of the show. The band’s drill mirrored this theme visually, breaking apart and coming back together with long gold fabric runs representing the gold in the pottery.
Planning for next year’s show starts almost right away. “By January, we have the theme and music chosen for next year’s show,” says Doug Brown, another of the band directors. Brown worked with several professional marching band composers to write the music for this year’s show, and fellow director Michael Ver Voort wrote the drill formations. The whole show has to be written by the end of the school year so that students can start learning their music over the summer.
So, what’s next? Rothacker says, “Winning a championship is great, but to do it consistently takes a lot of planning and hard work. Tomorrow’s success starts today, and we’re excited to see the musical growth the students are capable of for next year. It’s a team effort for sure.” That team includes a student leadership team of over 20 members, led by drum majors Ben Zumbrunnen, Mado Smith, and Asha Chakravartula. It also includes over a dozen staff members and volunteers: Douglas Brown, Eric Rothacker, Michael Ver Voort, Patrick Coughlin, Kasey Graff, Kellie Stein, Noah Brockway, Darlayne Coughlin, Luke Hanson, Evan Metcalf, Charlie Fenske, Sebastian DeWaart, Amanda Roesch, Zoe Howard, and Madeline Holman.
