Muskegon Big Red Band

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HISTORY of the MUSIC PROGRAM

MHS Band 1912

1920-21 Muskegon High School Band and Orchestra

1925-26 Muskegon High Band

Muskegon's new High School - 1927

Muskegon High School's monthly edition of the Said and Done from fall of 1928

William Stewart - Muskegon High School - 1936

The "Band Mothers" - the predecessor to the Band and Orchestra Parents Association, was organized by new band director William Stewart in 1936.

First on Stewart's agenda - new band uniforms.

Letter donated by Ed Sutherland, Big Red Marching Band Member 1938-39

William Stewart's Original Manuscript for the Alma Mater

Patent of Electric Lamp Attachments for Caps, August 31, 1948

The concept was created by Director William Stewart, and patented to benefit the school

Program highlighting 1949 Memorial Day Services in Muskegon. The included a parade that formed
at Court House Square in downtown Muskegon, followed by exercises at Hackley Park,
Memorial services at St. Mary's Cemetery, a second parade in Lakeside,
and exercises at Lakeside Cemetery. The events featured performances of the National Anthem
by local high schools. Fifty years later, veterans are honored locally
in much the same manner.

Fans were treated to an unusual performance by the Big Red Marching Band during the annual Muskegon - Muskegon Heights football game in 1953. The band was illustratin John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields. A U.S. military cemetery near Waregem, Belgium, Flanders Field serves as the berial siter for bodies of World War I soldiers. Featured the use of black light, the band became only the third in America to use the system for a half-time show.

Majorettes Sharon Pederson, Joyce Marshall, Pat Wirtz, Patricia Somero and Kay Fearnly

A Spread Eagle - one of many formation
from the halftime shows used during the 1953 season

Band Camp 1963, Smith-Walbridge Camp, Syracuse, Indiana

The Block M from the fall of 1965

The MHS band received a contribution from composer Henry Mancini to help the
group finance a trip to Chicago. Invited to perform at the Midwest National Band
Clinic on December 18, 1968, the cost of the trip was funded through donations
and fundraisers. Among the fundraisers was the band's first annual Tag Day.

The 1976 Big Red Marching Band

1994's Brass Section

The band's long history of involvement in dedication's continued with a performance during the unveiling of the Charles H. Hackley statue in downtown Muskegon in October of 2009. The band has played for numerous other dedication ceremonies in the past, including the dedication of the B.C Cobb Plant in 1949 and a performance dedicating the installation of new street lights in downtown Muskegon.

Artwork by Megan Baker - 2009