The 82-member, 2010-2011 edition of the Dowagiac Union High School Chieftain Marching Band concludes weeklong camp today with three of the four Styx tunes they will be taking to festival Oct. 13 playing and marching – “plarching” — on their new home at APEX, behind DUHS. (The Daily News/John Eby)

By JOHN EBY

Dowagiac Daily News

Chieftain Marching Band unveiled its new theme song Thursday morning, the fourth day of this week’s band camp on a new home at APEX, behind Union High.

Director C.J. Brooks debuted the fanfare, a majestic version of the Chieftains fight song, “On Dowagiac,” for new Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel.

“Keep up the hard work,” Daniel said. “We appreciate it. You’ve got to have a great band and fine arts program. It makes the school system. I really appreciate all your dedication to what you do.”

Also attending the fanfare’s debut were DUHS Principal Paul Hartsig and Athletic Director Scott Lawler.

The community can judge for itself when the band runs through the show about 5:15 before their camp-concluding party hosted by Band Boosters President Tammy Bassett.

Brooks, took a music technology course as part of his graduate work.

“They wanted us to tailor something to our programs,” he said. “We normally march around the field. We’re going to do something different. We’re going to march out in a big block (maybe in the shape of a D), play the fanfare, then the fight song and the national anthem.”

The fanfare “is a regal version of the fight song,” Brooks said. “I made it so for the kids, keywise, it goes right into the fight song. We want to get the crowd going before the game starts, so I hope it’s a good way to signal the band and team are coming. Mr. Lawler’s all about team spirit, just like Mr. Younger was. We’ve got to get everybody fired up for a new season, and the band was doing nothing for pregame. This starts a new tradition unique to us.”

Brooks’ 82-member band is still on the young side, but blessed with a brassy sound from a dozen trumpets led by Jessica Martin, who starts the Styx show with a solo in “Mr. Roboto.”

It goes without saying band camp coincided with one of the hottest weeks of summer, but the musicians were also plagued Wednesday by thunderstorms.

“Mother Nature has not been on our side at all. We spent all morning yesterday inside,” Brooks said.

Still, they end the week where Brooks wanted — with three of the four pieces marching and playing on the field — “plarching” in band parlance.

“We’ve only got eight or nine seniors,” Brooks said, his band spread before him beneath his scaffold.

“Trumpets are our biggest section. Student leadership has been awesome. The kids are taking charge of the sections, making sure they’re prepared. Leadership from the drum majors down has been amazing. I don’t even see the little problems. We’ve got enough kids where we might split off into concert and symphonic bands again.”

The cry, “It’s Taco Day,” propelled tiring students to the finish line as morning waned.

Left unsaid, but apparent after watching awhile, was that it was also Plaid Day.

“Mr Roboto” will be followed by “Rockin’ the Paradise,” “Too Much Time on My Hands” by former Niles resident Tommy Shaw featuring percussion, bass guitar and electric guitar, and “The Best of Times.”

Styx, a Chicago rock band with a theatrical flair for concept albums, has been around longer than Brooks, who was born in 1982 — the year before the release of “Mr. Roboto.”

Marching festival takes place Oct. 13.