[Click below to see the bands]
                                
This site documents the history of the marching bands in the Rockford Public Schools. It is organized chronologically by school year. Most of the images on this site come from yearbook pictures courtesy of the Rockford Public Schools, Board of Education. There are literally thousands of pictures that can be found in the yearbooks. This site includes a selection of those images. When possible, names of band members are included along with giving credit to the writers and photographers from the yearbooks. This site also includes interviews and recent pictures of past and present members of the band, directors, and their families. The author of this Web site, Kay Shelton, took the more recent photographs, especially those from the 1999 Memorial Day Parade, with a Sony Digital Mavica camera purchased from Lundgren's camera store in Rockford with funds from the Illinois State Library. The Illinois State Library generously provided all the financial support for this Web site as part of an Educate & Automate Grant.



This site would not be possible without the critical funding from the Illinois State Library. It would also not be possible without the efforts of a dedicated team of personnel.

The Rockford Public Schools have the oldest, continous marching band in the United States and they gave the first performance of a public high school band. Mr. John T. Haight started the marching band during the summer of 1907, the boys in the newly formed band learned how to play their instruments all that summer, and they gave their first performances during that fall. The Rockford High Schools also have the longest tradition of a marching band performing during the halftime of football games. The oldest concert band honor goes to Connersville High School in Indiana, which began rehearsals during the 1906-1907 school year. The Connersville High School band under the direction of Dr. W Otto Meissner gave its first performance on December 17, 1907.

--From "Concert Proceeds April 23 To Go To CHS Band" by Marion Dowling, Connersville News-Examiner, April 17, 1975, p. 22.


[Click here to enter the Rockford Public Schools site]



If you are having trouble viewing this site in what looks like a window in the middle of your screen, chances are you are viewing it through a frame. To get out of the frame and view this site directly, type:
http://www.rps205.com/rockfordbands/index.html


A special thanks for making this Web site possible goes to:

The Rockford Board of Education
Dr. Ronald L. Epps, Superintendent of Schools, Rockford Public Schools
Dr. Ellen Bueschel, Deputy Superintendent, Rockford Public Schools
Jan Jones, General Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Rockford Public Schools
Nancy Bloomstrand, Director of Library Media Services, Rockford Public Schools
Jim Jennings, Director, Office of Communications, Rockford Public Schools
Ron Johnson, Media Services, Rockford Public Schools
Judy Staples, Library Media Services, Rockford Public Schools
Pat Fleener, Student Records Clerk, Rockford Public Schools
Tom Bueschel
Katy Bueschel
Ann Francis, Librarian, Connersville High School
Dr. Drew E. VandeCreek, Director, Abraham Lincoln Digitization Project
and Northern Illinois University Libraries Digitization Unit
Sam Manivong, Illinois Periodicals Online, Northern Illinois University Libraries
Mark Rose, Band Director, Old Towne Band
David "Thor" Oberg, Tinker Swiss Cottage
Karrie and Tom Brace, Beloit College
All the helpful folks at the Rockford Public Library






Some of these links play music. You may need to download RealAudio so that your computer can play them. Click here for RealAudio and follow the instructions carefully. You can download a free version of RealAudio if you read the instructions carefully.

Rockford Community Foundation

Illinois Board of Higher Education

Phantom Regiment

Drum Corps International

American Bandmasters Association

National Band Assocation

Northern Illinois University Huskie Bands

United States Marine Corps Band

If your computer is capable of playing music via the Internet, to hear a recording of the Marine Corps Band playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," click here. If you want to keep enjoying looking at the Rockford Band pictures while listening to the music, click the small _ sign at the top right corner of your brower (Netscape or Explorer), click open another window for a second browser to use at the same time, and type:
http://www.rps205.com/rockfordbands/index.html       in the second opened window of your browser.

The John Phillip Sousa site of the Dallas Wind Symphony

Sousa Archives for Band Research

United States Air Force Band







Some graphics courtesy of:

Copyright 1999 Rockford Public Schools. All Rights Reserved. All images are the property of the Rockford Public Schools and may be used only with permission.