From Monmouth With Love

The 2021 Monmouth College Marching Band show features three spy themed movements titled “From Monmouth With Love”. Secret Agent Man, Soul Bossa Nova and the James Bond Theme are all featured at each home football game during the halftime performance. The band is led under the direction of Elissa Kana, a new face for the Monmouth Marching Band. Kana grew up in Katy, Texas, and started playing the saxophone at age 11. “Once I played the first note on my instrument, I was hooked: I started practicing every day and tried to participate in as many activities as I could that involved the saxophone, including marching band. I went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in saxophone from Northwestern University and Bowling Green State University, respectively, and am currently working to complete my doctorate in saxophone performance at the University of Iowa. With this degree, I hope to one day work as a saxophone professor at a college or university,” said Kana. Kana was drawn to work with the Monmouth Marching Band through Greg Rife, who previously directed the marching band in 2018 and 2019. Rife and Kana play in a saxophone quartet together called the Colere Quartet. “He had mentioned that he enjoyed his time working with the band and getting to know the students at the college. Greg and his family moved to the Chicago area in 2020, so the distance prevented him from continuing to direct the marching band,” said Kana. “When I heard that Monmouth was looking for someone to direct the marching band this year, I thought it would be a great experience. Though I’m not a marching band director by trade, I have some experience in music education and in wind-band conducting. Working with the Fighting Scots Marching Band seemed like the perfect opportunity to strengthen these skills. I also loved participating in marching band as a student, so it seemed like it would be a lot of fun.” After not having a season for marching band last year, there have been a lot of new faces in the band, due to having two classes, both freshmen and sophomore students never having participated in marching band at the college level. “The best part about working with the Monmouth marching band has been getting to know the students and watching them bond with each other. It’s been a strange year: marching band was put on hold last year due to the pandemic, our numbers were down at the start of the season, and more than 50% of our members were new to Monmouth’s marching band. Factor in a brand-new marching band director to that situation, and it could have been a disaster very quickly. However, the students here gave me a chance, and over the course of the past semester, we’ve really hit our stride in rehearsals: we get a lot of good; quality work accomplished and have a lot of fun doing it,” said Kana. The Monmouth Marching Band has also grown musically. One of the biggest improvements that Kana has seen during her time here is the sound of the band. “Coming into this job I was a little nervous about how anyone in the stands would be able to hear a 25 person marching band—especially when there is not more than 2-3 people playing more than one instrument.” Kana stated that “all students have stepped up their game and everyone really has taken ownership of their musical role in the band. When I listen to the band at football games, I’m always surprised by how much sound is coming out of such a small—but mighty—band!” Kana expressed that her favorite song in the show would be “Soul Bossa Nova”, which is most known as the theme from the Austin Powers movies. She proves this to be her favorite because it is rhythmically interesting and makes people want to get up and dance, it gives each of the sections of the band a chance to shine and the drill matches the music really well. The dance break from the band has also proven to be a crowd favorite. “I’ve also really enjoyed seeing the entire band become a big family,” said Kana. “At the very start of the season, so few of them knew each other that during breaks, everyone would tune into their phones, but now, they’re all talking with each other, cracking jokes, and forming strong friendships that will hopefully last the rest of their lives. It’s really cool that students majoring in such a wide array of disciplines, ranging from music performance to neuroscience, can bond over their shared love of music.” “I think the success of any band program boils down to the students in the band and the culture they create. The marching band students at Monmouth, in essence, had to rebuild their culture after COVID-19 dismantled marching band in 2020. They all have proven that they want to put on quality performances for the football audience on Saturdays and have adopted and maintained the work ethic necessary to do this on two hours of rehearsal each week. For example, the drumline came up with new and exciting cadences to play while marching into the stadium, and the brass and woodwind sections have taken the initiative to meet outside of rehearsal to work on their music and solidify their memorization of it. To top it all off, the veteran band members have welcomed the freshmen and sophomores into the group with open arms and they have—together—established fun and new traditions that I hope will continue. Combined, this dedication and camaraderie have led the band to steadily improve, and I believe this can all be seen—and heard—in their performances. I hope everyone reading will come out to support the Marching Scots and the football team at the final home game of the season this Saturday.” Said Kana. The Fighting Scots Marching Band has one last performance, this Saturday, November 13, the Turkey Bowl as well as Senior Day.

Allison Barrington - Staff Writer