Founded in 1953, The Pride of Olentangy represents a time-honored tradition of pride, professionalism, pageantry, and excellence spanning the 64-year history of the Olentangy School District. Our basic goal is working together toward excellence in musicianship.
The Olentangy Marching Band of Pride has approximately one hundred and ten members in grades nine through twelve. The band members primarily live in Lewis Center and the high school is part of the Olentangy Local School District. Olentangy High School has an enrollment of 1974 students and 112 staff members. Our students perform in many community events, including football game half-time shows; parades, festivals, and field show competitions. Second semester finds them continuing in a concert band setting, along with several members joining the Indoor Drumline, Winter Guard, Pep Band, and Jazz Band programs.
The OHS Concert Band’s are the Heart of the Instrumental Music Program, featuring many public concerts, OMEA contests, festivals, and numerous other community performances. Music is selected according to the ability level of the students involved in each ensemble. We strive to give students a diverse selection of music to help increase not only their knowledge of music but also to foster their love of music.
The Band is supported by the Olentangy Music Booster Association; a group of parents who are focused on providing an outstanding musical experience for these students. The most important part of their role is to support their students’ performance; fund raising comes second! Parents are vital to a successful music program and this amazing parental group exemplifies the Braves spirit.
It now becomes the goal of all of us – staff, students, and parents to meet the simple but challenging task of continuing a quality of performance tradition that all of us can be proud of. We must all rise to that challenge, and, in the process, create memories that we can be proud to relate to in years to come.
The Olentangy High School Band of Pride has appeared at numerous State and Local Marching and Concert Band Events over the past twelve years, earning Excellent and Superior ratings and a reputation for excellence.
Both the Marching and Concert Bands have consistently been successful at OMEA Adjudicated Events, with a long record of Superior Ratings, and awards for Outstanding Music, Visual Effect, Percussion, and Color Guard.
Recent Awards include:
Have qualified for the OMEA State Finals Marching Competition every year since 2006 and have received a “Superior” rating at State Finals since 2007
Top 10 Finish at MSBA Championships and best overall percussion, Grand Champions at Westerville North and Best Overall Visual, Best Overall Music, Best Overall General Effect, Best Overall Percussion, and Best Overall Auxiliary
2016 Best Overall Percussion at the MSBA Championships
The Olentangy Winter Guard has earned numerous awards including MEPA Medalists in 2014 and 2015 and MEPA State Champions in 2016.
Performances at Walt Disney World of Orlando, Florida (2016) and The Nations Veterans Day Parade in New York City, New York (2005)
Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Members have earned both Superior and Excellent Ratings at OMEA Large Group Contest since 2006.
Individual band members have performed as members of OMEA All-State Band, Ohio State University Honors Band, Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Cadet Orchestra, Capital University Youth Symphonic Band and Junior Winds, the Columbus Youth Jazz Ensembles, and various other honors ensembles throughout the state.
Band members have also performed across the country as members of DCI Drum Corps (including the 2015 World Champion Blue Devils), indoor color guard and percussion ensembles, college marching and concert bands, and as members of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade All-American Marching Band.
If you have questions regarding the band program, please feel free to email us.
Mr. Brun received both his Bachelor of Music Education and Trumpet Performance degree from Capital University. While at Capital, he studied conducting with Timothy Swinehart, trumpet with James Stokes, and music education with James Swearingen. Mr. Brun has been the Director of Bands at Olentangy High School since 2008. Previously, Mr. Brun was the head director at Olentangy Liberty Middle School and head director at the Loudonville-Perrysville School District. Bands under Mr. Brun’s direction have received numerous Superior ratings at both concert band and marching band adjudicated events as well as having been invited in to perform at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
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Melissa Grimes, Woodwind Instructor
Melissa Grimes
Melissa Grimes is director of bands at Olentangy Shanahan Middle School and assistant band director of the Olentangy High School Marching Band. Melissa was guest clinician and conductor for the Ohio Wesleyan University’s middle school honors band in 2022. Melissa has been pit orchestra director for Olentangy Orange High School’s Orangelight Productions You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Seussical: The Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and Heathers: The Musical.
Melissa earned her Bachelor of Music Education Magna Cum Laude from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio in 2014 and her Master of Music Education from Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois in 2020. Melissa’s master thesis was developing curriculum to motivate beginning band students to practice at home by teaching their parents to play their band instruments in five introductory instrument lessons.
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Logan Pelphery, Brass Instructor
Logan Pelphery
Mr. Pelphery has been an assistant director with the Olentangy Marching Band since the fall of 2018. In addition to his duties at Olentangy High School, he is also the Assistant Band Director in the Bexley City School District and the Assistant Vocal Music Director at Grove City HS. He also teaches private lessons on french horn, euphonium, and trombone around Columbus. When he isn’t teaching, Mr. Pelphrey performs in several ensembles including: The Grove City Community Winds, The Dublin Silver Band, the Jewish Community Center’s Pit orchestra, The Butterfly Guild of Columbus, as well as several small ensembles throughout the Central Ohio area.
Mr. Pelphrey received his bachelors degree in Music Education from Capital University in 2020, and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Wind Band Conducting
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Elijah Lutton, Percussion Instructor
Elijah Lutton
Mr. Lutton started working with the Olentangy Marching Band in the fall of 2022.
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Daniel Hilderbrand, Color Guard Director
Daniel Hilderbrand became the Color Guard Director at Olentangy High School in the fall of 2022. Daniel has spun and performed in the color guard sport for seven years. He graduated from Licking Heights High School in their hometown Pataskala Ohio, where they performedin a range of musical activities including color guard, musical theater, choir, and concert band. After high school, Daniel attended Otterbein University where they received a Bachelor of Music Education with a primary instrument of voice in 2022. At Otterbein, Daniel spent time participating in color guard, concert choir, and opera theater. In addition to school, Daniel marched with the independent world class winterguard, Juxtaposition, based in Westerville Ohio during the organization’s 2018 season.
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Craig Fitzpatrick, Music Arranger
Craig Fitzpatrick
Craig Fitzpatrick holds a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he studied composition with Stephen Heinemann. He obtained his Masters in Music Composition in 2003 from the University of Illinois in Champaign. While there, he studied composition under Stephen Taylor and Rick Taube and also served as a teaching assistant, instructing undergraduate theory and ear-training courses. Since then Craig has had the opportunity to work closely with Jack Stamp, David Maslanka, and David Holsinger.
In 2001, Craig won the Creative Division of the Bradley University Research and Creative Achievement Exhibition with Subliminal Designs, a composition designed using music notation through alternative visual representations. Craig was also a finalist in the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards in 2001 and 2003. In 2005, he was chosen as a participant in the National Band Association’s Young Composer Mentor Project sponsored Bands of America. Craig was also a finalist in the 2nd International Frank Ticheli Composition Contest with his work “Re-Connected” for wind ensemble. In 2014, Craig’s commission “A Light Still Remains” was a finalist in the National Band Association’s Merrill Jones Composition Contest for Concert Band. Craig has been commissioned to write concert band literature for various Midwest Jr. High and High Schools. His compositions for band, orchestra, choir, soloists, and small ensembles have been performed across the country. Craig is also a published composer with Alfred, TRN, and FJH Music Publishers.
Since 2001, Craig has arranged music and written drill for competitive high school marching bands across the country. His clients have been State Class Champions, Band of America (BOA) Super Regional Finalists, BOA Grand National Semi-Finalists, and BOA Super Regional Class Champions. Additionally, Craig has served as a marching band adjudicator throughout the Midwest. Craig marched with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps baritone line in 1998 and worked with the Cavaliers brass staff in 2001. He has taught competitive marching brass and arranged for Morton High School, who have been named the 2005 through 2016 class 2A Illinois State Champions. Craig also maintains an extensive private brass studio, teaching trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba lessons to students of all ages. His students regularly attend the IMEA district and state festivals in the orchestral, jazz, and band divisions. During the 2005-06 school year, Craig served as assistant director of bands at Washington Community High School. During this time, the Washington High School Symphonic winds were selected to compete at the 2006 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival for the first time.
Craig studied trombone with Hugo Magliocco at Bradley University and Elliot Chasanov at the University of Illinois. He currently performs with the Prairie Wind Ensemble, and resides in Morton, Illinois with his wife, Katrina.
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Dylan Bram, Front Ensemble Music Arranger
Dylan Bram
Dylan Bram is from Dublin, Ohio and is a junior at the Ohio State University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He has performed as a member of the Ohio State University Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and various jazz ensembles, as well as the Wright State University percussion ensemble. Dylan spent the summers of 2011 and 2012 touring as a member of the front ensemble in the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps. He also performs as a front ensemble member of Matrix Indoor Marching Percussion Ensemble, which placed 4th at WGI Percussion World Class Finals in 2013. Outside of the marching world, Dylan performs regularly around Columbus as a freelance percussionist and jazz vibraphonist.
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Mike Wells, Drill Designer
Mike Wells
Mike Wells currently resides in Canton, MI where he serves as a full time Visual Designer and Instructor for the Marching Arts.
As a sought after drill designer, Mike has worked with ensembles across Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia among others. Some of his clients have included Kentucky State Champions Estill County and Russell County, Wisconsin State Champion River Falls, Barren County (KY), Olentangy (OH), United Township (IL), Washington County (KY), Hardin Valley Academy (TN) and Fairfax (VA) among several others. These ensembles have enjoyed success at numerous BOA events and earned several State and Regional Championships as well as visual awards. In the 2016 competitive season, five KMEA State Finalist ensembles performed Mike’s drill, representing the top four bands in five classes across the state of Kentucky.
Mike has instructed some of the finest ensembles across the country. Currently, Mike teaches the nationally acclaimed Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Marching Band, where he has served on both the brass and visual staff. Mike has previously worked in several capacities with BOA Semi-Finalists Lockport Township (IL), Rockford (MI), and Reeths-Puffer (MI), among others. Mike has also served as Visual Caption Head for Genesis Percussion (PIW) and currently serves as the visual designer for Capital City Percussion (PIW). Mike also teaches on the visual staff for the Boston Crusaders. Prior to working with Boston, Mike served on the visual staff of the Blue Knights, Teal Sound, and was the Visual Caption Head at the Troopers, earning a top 12 finish in the visual caption during his time.
As a performer, Mike began his marching career with the Glassmen, and was fortunate to be a member of Carolina Crown, playing both baritone and euphonium. Mike holds a B.M. in Euphonium Performance from Western Michigan University and Post-Baccalaureate teaching certificate in music from Westfield State University in Westfield, MA.
Pride Marching Band is a ‘state of the art’ competitive marching band and explores the latest trends in competitive marching band. The Pride is an extra-curricular offering for band students at Olentangy High School.
Pride marching band provides an outlet for students interested in the realm of ‘state of the art’ design, performance, social, and competitive opportunities.
Membership is voluntary into this co-curricular ensemble; however, an audition is required. All band members must complete a successful audition to be granted membership into all sections of the Pride. All potential members that audition will be granted membership based on the quality of their performance ability – both musically and visually. Freshman and Sophomore students that are denied membership with the Pride will perform in the Tradition varsity football marching band.
Since the Pride is an co-curricular activity, its rehearsal schedule falls partially outside of the typical school day. A detailed calendar with all rehearsal and performance dates and times will be provided to each student that gains membership into The Pride as well as posted on the internet at http://www.olentangyband.com
The Pride marching band performs at halftime of all varsity football games as well as at pre-game for home games. The Pride also performs at all competitive contests and festivals; approx. 5 contests per season. The format of most contests are a prelim / finals contest. The Pride also performs at many contests and festivals (approx. 6 contests per season), and makes many community appearances based on need and availability.
Financial Obligation
Each Pride member’s costs and fees (that may be paid for through sponsorships, fundraisers and cash payments) are based on the following;
Uniform Accessories: Each Horn Line and Percussion student purchases their uniform shoes, uniform T-shirt, gloves and ball cap. These items are ordered as a group to achieve the lowest possible discount pricing to each student.
Trip Food: The Pride members are fed before every game performance and at least once at all contests.
Out-of-State contests: Each member pays or fundraises their share of the overall cost for the Pride to travel to an out-of-state event. This cost includes transportation, lodging, meals, entertainment, etc. for the entire trip.
Technical Fee: Each student will pay a fee that in turn will help offset the cost of adjunct and technical staff.
Color Guard Fees: Because of the continual evolution of the Color Guard program it is difficult to foresee exact costs to guard members. However, typical costs include: Summer Instruction Fee, Practice Uniform, Performance Shoes, Contest Uniform and Specialized Equipment.
Academic Achievement
All marching band members receive a grade on their report card and their permanent transcript. Grades fall under the guidelines of the Olentangy School Board Policy for Performing Ensembles.
The Color Guard adds color, excitement, and visual enhancement to the marching band show. Membership in the Color Guard is determined by an audition each spring. The Color Guard is open to all Olentangy High School students regardless of enrollment in the instrumental music program. The Color Guard receives training from a qualified guard instructor selected by the director. As an integral part of the Marching Band, members of the Color Guard are expected to follow all policies and practices required of Marching Band members. The Color Guard is expected to attend additional guard practices that are scheduled by the directors and staff.
Interested in receiving more information about the Olentangy Color Guard?
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