About the Prospect Marching Knights
Prospect High School
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
www.prospectband.com
2014 OVERVIEW
The Prospect Marching Knights (PMK) is a nationally recognized, award-winning marching band from Prospect High School, located in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. Prospect High School (PHS) is one of six district high schools comprising Township High School District 214 in northwest suburban Chicago. The Marching Knights are part of Prospect’s Fine and Performing Arts Department. In 2012, the PHS music department was designated one of the top six music programs in the nation by the GRAMMY® Foundation. Prospect received the 2012 Grammy® Signature Schools Gold award, in recognition of its demonstrated excellence in music education.
Director of Bands. Chris Barnum has served as Director of Bands since 2006. Mr. Barnum earned both his undergraduate and masters degrees in music education from the University of Illinois. Prior to earning his masters degree, Mr. Barnum taught fifth and sixth grade band in Berwyn, Illinois. He is also a brass staff member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Barnum’s professional affiliations include the Music Educators National Conference and the National Band Association.
Marching Band Staff. Assisting Mr. Barnum with the marching band is a staff of talented and dedicated instructors, including: Mitch Johnson, Mike Lawton, and Scott Seal (winds); Christina Barnum, Lauren Bilbrey, Lynel Curd, Will Frankenberger, Megan McHugh and Brady Sanders, (color guard); Matt Janus, Scott Simon, Billy Spicer, and Brian Spicer (percussion); and Drew Shanefield, Bret Kuhn, Sal Salas, and Peter Weber(show design). These instructors attend rehearsals in the summer and fall. Each brings a great deal of knowledge in his or her area of expertise.
Marching Band Membership. In 2014, approximately 160 students will participate in the Prospect marching band program. These include 32 members of the Color Guard.
2014 Marching Season. The Prospect Marching Knights begin rehearsing their program during summer band camp, with sessions in June and August, preparing for their rigorous “marching season” in the fall. In 2014, the PMK will perform at many area and regional competitions, parades, and football games. Events include:
Sept. 13: Lake Park Lancer Joust – Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL
Sept. 20: Chicagoland Marching Band Festival, Wheeling, IL
Oct. 4: Knight of Champions (hosted by the Prospect Marching Knights)— Mt. Prospect, IL
Oct. 11: State of Illinois Invitational High School Marching Band Championship — Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL
Oct. 18: Illini Marching Band Championship - University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Oct. 24-25: Bands of America Super Regional— Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 8: Washington D.C. National Mall
The PMK also performs at each home game of the Prospect High School varsity football team: August 29, September 5 and 26 (homecoming) and October 10 and 17, 2014.
2014 Show: Song of the Siren
The 2014 Prospect Marching Knights are proud to present Song of the Siren, featuring the music of Rolf Rudin and Claude Debussy. The show will include selections from Rudin’s Der Traun des Oenghus and Debussy’s La cathedrale engloutie. The music program is designed by Drew Shanefield and Bret Kuhn. The visual program is by Pete Weber (drill) and Sal Salas (color guard).
Knight of Champions (October 4, 2014). This competition is hosted by the Prospect High School Marching Knights and is open to Class A, AA and AAA bands. In 2014, 15 area marching bands are expected to compete in the festival. Class A bands have up to 64 members; Class AA, 65-96 members; Class AAA, 97 or more members. Awards will be given for first, second, and third place in Class A, AA, and AAA, as well as Outstanding Visual, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Percussion, Outstanding Auxiliary, and Out-standing General Effect. The Prospect Marching Knights give an exhibition performance, but do not compete in this event.
Trips and Parades. In addition to being the mainstay at local parades in their communities of Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights, the Prospect Marching Knights will perform Veteran's Day weekend in Washington D. C. at the WWII Memorial and on the National Mall. They alsotraveled to New York City to participate in The Band of Pride Tribute in Times Square on November 10, 2012 and marched in the NYC Veteran’s Day parade on November 11.
Other destinations over the years have included the King Kamehameha Parade in Hawaii; the Tournament of Roses Parade (1986 and 2006) in Pasadena, CA; the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; the Fiesta Bowl Parade, Phoenix, AZ; the Citrus Bowl and Magic Kingdom Parades, Orlando, FL; the Bank One Thanksgiving Day Parade, Houston, TX; and the Hollywood Christmas Parade (2004). In December 2009, the Prospect Marching Knights, together with Prospect High School’s Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir, traveled to London to perform in the London New Year’s Day Parade and Gala Concerts.
Honors and Awards. The Prospect Marching Knights have been named Grand Champions at the University of Illinois Marching Band Festival 30 times. They were selected for the finals at least five times at the Bands of America Grand National Championship and were Grand Champions at the Bands at the Bowl (Hollywood Bowl, 2004). They were among the top 10 finalists in the 2013 Bands of America Super Regional in St. Louis, and were named Illinois 5A State Champions in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Prospect Band Boosters. The PMK receives strong parental support through the Prospect Band Boosters, which assists the Director with procuring and maintaining uniforms, arranging transportation, logistics, food and lodging, chaperoning events, fundraising, publicity, and other activities.
Prospect Marching Knights: 2013 Awards
The Prospect Marching Knights had a very successful competition season in 2013, participating at the top in local, state, and national levels.
Sept. 14, Lake Park High School's 35th Annual Lancer Joust Marching: The Marching Knights took first place in Finals among a field of 22 Midwest bands. Additionally, they received awards for Outstanding Music Performance, Visual Performance, General Effect, Percussion and Auxiliary. In the preliminaries competition, the Knights also placed first in their class (AAA), and received four honors for outstanding achievement: Music Performance, Visual Performance, General Effect and Percussion.
September 28, the Red & Black Fall Classic at Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb: The Marching Knights captured first place, and won
the highest awards for Music, Visual, and General Effect.
October 12, the State of Illinois Invitational Marching Band Championships, at Illinois State University (ISU): The Prospect Marching Knights were named Illinois 5A State Champions for the second year, and won second place overall out of 36 school bands. The PMK also captured awards for Outstanding Music Performance, Visual Performance, and General effect.
Oct. 19-20, Bands of America (BOA) Super Regional in St. Louis, MO: The PMK concluded its season at this super regional championship by capturing 6th place overall in a field of 64 bands representing thirteen different states. (BOA Championships are recognized as the premiere high school marching band events in the United States, offering world-class band performances by the finest high school marching bands in America.)
For more information contact:
Mr. Chris Barnum
Director of Bands
Prospect High School
801 W. Kensington Road
Mt. Prospect, Illinois 60056
847-718-5363 rev. -9-4-2014
Prospect Marching Knights— 2014 Overview