Washington State University Cougar Marching Band

The Washington State University Cougar Marching Band (or CMB) is the marching band of Washington State University. With over 200 members, the Cougar Marching Band performs at every home football game and select away games.

Washington State University Cougar Marching Band
School	Washington State University
Location	Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Founded	1923 (1923)
Director	Jon Sweet
Associate Director	Sarah Miller
Assistant Directors	A.J. Miller Christopher Wilson
Members	230
Fight song	"Win the Day" and "All Hail"
Motto	"Best in the West!"
Uniform
Website	marchingband.wsu.edu

The CMB hosts a Band Day and a Marching Band Competition. The latter was started in 2015 to give high school bands in the region a premiere competitive event.

Directors

Directors of the Cougar Marching Band

Director	Years	Length of Direction
Karel Havlicek	1923-1927	5 years
Harold Wheeler	1928-1950	23 years
Howard Deming	1951-1964	14 years
Max McKee	1965-1966	2 years
John Knoll	1967-1968	2 years
Judd Aetzel	1969	1 year
Richard Uthmann	1970	1 year
John Newman	1971-1972	2 years
Larry Hudson	1973	1 year
Jack Prindle	1974	1 year
Scott Randolph	1975-1976	2 years
Howard Meeker	1977-1981	5 years
Patricia Root	1982-1988	7 years
Timothy Hoey	1989-1990	2 years
Donald Hower	1991-2013	23 years
Troy Bennefield	2014-2022	9 years
Jonathan Sweet	2023-	-

Band Composition

Instrumentation

• Piccolos
• Clarinets
• Alto Saxophones
• Tenor Saxophones
• Trumpets
• Mellophones
• Trombones
• Baritones
• Sousaphones
• Snares
• Tenors
• Basses
• Cymbals

Color Guard

• Flags
• Rifles

Feature Twirler

The feature twirler is an auditioned role. They perform alongside the band during all events on game day.

Repertoire

"The Fight Song"

"The Fight Song" is the fight song of the university. The song was composed in 1919 by WSU student Phyllis Sayles with fellow student Zella Melcher penning the lyrics. In 2019, the CMB celebrated the 100th anniversary of the fight song by premiering a new version titled "Win the Day". It retains the same structure as the original with modernized composition. It is now the standard version of the fight song used by the band.

The Alma Mater

"Washington, My Washington" is the alma mater of the university. It was composed by James DeForest Cline in 1914 for a pep contest, and was adopted by the university in 1919 to be the alma mater. The version in use currently is an arrangement by past CMB director, Troy Bennefield.

Other common tunes

The CMB plays many songs and "shorts" to get the crowd excited. The most common are:

• "Seven Nation Army"
• "The Hey Song"
• "Louie Louie"
• "Right Above It"
• "Light 'Em Up"
• "Fire"
• “The Pretender”
• First Down Cheer (Superman Theme)
• "Jaws"
• "Goons"
• Wonder Woman Theme (2017)
• "Mic Drop"
• "Word Up"
• “Confident”
• "2 Points"
• "Invasion! (Goldberg's Theme)"
• “Go Cougs Go” (Parody of “Go Cubs Go”)

Halftime Shows

The CMB performs a new halftime show for every home football game. This results in approximately six different shows for the CMB every year. The band also performs a halftime show at select away games and bowl games. The following list consists of some of the shows the CMB has performed for halftime.

2021

• "25 Years" - Celebrating songs that turned 25 that year.
• "America The Beautiful" - Remembering and honoring those lost in the 9/11 attacks.
• "Chicago" - A show featuring music by the band Chicago.
• "Latina Artists" - A show highlighting well-known Latina singers.
• "BTS" - A show featuring music by BTS.
• "Student's Choice" - A show consisting of music voted on by the WSU student body.
• "Senior Show: Full Heart Fancy + Incredibles" - A show from a prior year that graduating CMB seniors vote on to perform again.

2022

• "Tribute to Taylor Hawkins" - Both the WSU and Idaho Vandal marching bands performed music by Foo Fighters.
• "Band Day" - The CMB welcomed high school students to play "It's About Damn Time" and "As It Was".
• "A Celebration of Queer Artists" - A show highlighting music's most influential LGBTQ artists.
• "Foo Fighters" - A continuation of the CMB's first show of the year, featuring more music by Foo Fighters.
• "Santana" - The CMB performs Santana's most famous repertoire, featuring WSU's professor of guitar, Dr. Cesar Haas.
• "Bill Chase" - A show consisting of music by the jazz-rock band Chase.
• "Senior Show: Queen" - A show from a prior year that graduating CMB seniors vote on to perform again.

2023

• "Hard Rock Pullman" - A show with music by Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Nirvana, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• "100 Years of WSU Bands" - The CMB and over 100 CMB alumni band members celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of pep and concert bands at WSU.
• "New Orleans" - The CMB is joined by local high schoolers to perform a show honoring New Orleans.
• "Shrek" - A show featuring music and characters from the Shrek movies.
• "Cougs in Space!" - A show featuring Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra", music from Star Trek composed by Michael Giacchino, and "Rocket Man" by Elton John.
• "Home" - A show celebrating the state of Washington and the city of Pullman. The show was done in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, featuring the songs "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.

2024

• "Cougs in Flight" - A show featuring the songs "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings, "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band, "Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters, "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz, and "Defying Gravity" from the musical, Wicked.
• "Hall of Fame Inductees" - A show featuring artists inducted into the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Songs include “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner, “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige, and a medley of songs by Cher.
• “Country Divas” - A show featuring the songs “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, “Fancy” by Reba McEntire, “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé.
• "Cartoons" - A show featuring music from The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, Family Guy, South Park, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

WSU Marching Band Championships

The WSU Marching Band Championships is an independent, annual high school marching band competition hosted by the CMB. Bands from primarily eastern Washington and northern Idaho compete in a modern two-round competition format, consisting of prelims and finals. The festival is coordinated by the CMB, and was started in 2015 to serve high school marching bands in the region. The CMB performs as an exhibition group at this event.

Former Members

• Dolph Lundgren
• Mahlon Merrick (composer and film actor)

See also

• Crimson Company