URBANA — Ken Peters turned down his first three offers to become Urbana High School band director in 1977, then accepted a fourth and continued to lead the band for 24 of its 100-year history. I did.
“I went to see the band room and it was a complete mess,” Ken recalls, but he doesn't know what made him change his mind.
“I think in a moment of weakness, I said yes. … In the long run, it was a good decision.”
He went on to teach two of his children during his time at UHS, and two of his grandchildren are now part of the band. One of them, Ian Peters, was drum major during the band's 100th anniversary.
Ken didn't know the band's history when he accepted the job.
It was founded in 1924 by Raymond Francis Dvorak, who led the nationally famous marching band at the University of Wisconsin.
Neil Kjos served as director for one year before founding Neil A. Kjos Music Company, which still sells music education resources today.
Marching band luminaries Graham T. Overgaard and Clarence Sawhill all have roots at Urbana High School.
When Ken learned about this history, he wasn't too overwhelmed by the idea of upholding UHS's traditions.
“My philosophy is to choose the best music you can. Don't do junk, just do the best music you can choose,” he said. “I treat my students with the utmost respect and guide them to reach their fullest potential, especially given the time, room, and budget I have.”
Ken spent 24 years transforming the program.
While updating the band room was an important step, so was attracting more students to the program, which provided the basis for raising more funds.
It wasn't easy. At some point, the district's music coordinator decided to redo her approximately $10,000 Steinway piano that Urbana High School had purchased in 1914.
Ken's budget for the next four years is gone.
“I needed another tuba. No, you can't get one. I needed another euphonium. No, you can't get one. And kids don't buy tubas, not at the high school level,” he said.
Today, a tuba (same as a euphonium, but also sometimes referred to as a sousaphone) costs at least $5,000.
When Ken started attending UHS, he had about 75 band members. Membership slumped for a while, dropping to 42 members, but by the time it retired in 2001, it had two bands of 65 and 85 members, two full orchestras, and four choirs.
The program is still going strong, as evidenced by Ken's grandson Ian's love of the UHS band.
Ian also played clarinet at Holy Cross Middle School, but was prepared for a difficult transition to public school, especially during the pandemic.
“The marching band was the first thing we met before going to school for band camp. We met outside, so it was completely new to me meeting people from Urbana,” Ian said. “It was a great way to meet people before coming to school.”
At that point, school was still completely virtual, so band camp was a rare time for Ian to meet someone in person.
The virtual band class was also one of the few that required everyone to interact and have their cameras on.
“I felt really connected to the band from the beginning,” Ian said.
Four years later, he attended Smith-Walbridge's Summer Drum Major Clinic to prepare to lead the band his senior year.
The drum major's main job is to conduct the marching band and lead the parade, but he is also responsible for asking band members if they need anything.
Ian admits that, like Ken when he first became director, most of the kids in the band now don't know much about its history.
So he's looking forward to learning more at the UHS Band 100th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday.
It begins at 7 p.m. at UHS and includes a concert, alumni talks through the history of the band, and a dedication ceremony for the band room.
But most of all, Ian wants people to know that they should give the band a try.
“I get the impression that band kids and bands are weird places,” he says. “I think this is a great place for everyone to try and it's a really great culture.”