Idaho State University to host massive music festival for local high schools this week

POCATELLO — Every thing works better with a soundtrack. ‘Halloween’ is the most recognizable scary movie, not because of Michael Myers, but because of the ear-catching score. The same can be said of ‘Jaws’ and ‘Jurassic Park.’

Idaho State University sporting events have their own soundtrack, provided by the school’s music department.

Dr. Thomas Kloss wears many hats at ISU, among them he is the Associate Director of Athletic Bands. So he is the man you will see flashing notecards displaying song titles to the band and orchestrating the musicians during Bengal games.

“I like to say, we contribute to the game-time experience,” Kloss told EastIdahoNews.com.

There are many things that go into the songs you will hear at, for example, ISU’s Oct. 26 football game against Sacramento State.

According to Kloss, choosing songs to add to the list for a season is about finding the hot songs from the previous season and mixing them into the existing setlist.

Along with popularity, Kloss chooses songs for their “dramatic quality” and “effect,” and if they are “instantly recognizable.”

The big add this fall, he said, is “Hot To Go” by Chappell Roan.

Once the songs are chosen, Kloss finds ways to make them more performative.

“When the audience sees it — when we do a halftime show, I want grandma to put down the hot dog and cheer for us because she didn’t realize what cool stuff we were doing on the field,” he said.

Another easy way for a song to be added to the list of must-play songs is if Kloss sees the players on the field or court respond. As he described, whenever the band plays the song “Narco” by BlasterJaxx and Timmy Trumpet, players dance or bop to the beat, so that song remains in heavy rotation.

Song choices are not the only things that must be considered, Kloss said. For football games, the band has enough room to bring a full contingent. But for basketball and volleyball games, Reed Gym does not offer enough space to do the same. So, band members present at those games are asked to volunteer — though the volunteers do receive a small scholarship as recompense.

In addition to performing at Bengal sporting events, Kloss said, the university band tries to be as involved in community events as possible. They play at the annual Welcome Back Orange and Black day as well as other on-campus events, but also at city events like the Veterans Day Parade. They are also open to offering any guidance requested by local high school band leaders.

The music department also holds an annual music festival, the ISU Mountain West Marching Band Invitational — which is this Saturday, Oct. 19, beginning an 10 a.m. inside the ICCU Dome.

“The Mountain West Band Festival is one that I have looked forward to every year since being in high school and competing at it, to now being a part of the Bengal Marching Band and helping run and perform at it,” ISU student Hailey Anderson says in a news release from the university. “It’s a great way to learn from and enjoy other marching performances from around Southeast Idaho. It’s a major event for all involved in marching band, and never fails to excite.”

This year, 18 high schools from Idaho and Utah will converge on ISU for the musical festival and competition.

As Kloss explained, each band will be given 15 minutes to perform their halftime show. Winners, chosen by a panel of judges, receive trophies. The primary focus of the event, Kloss continued, is bringing more visibility to the local music programs, but also for recruiting.

After the high school bands performs and winner are announced, the ISU band will take the field.

“We get to show everybody what we’re doing, and we get to celebrate all that work that (the students) are doing, without the football team present,” Kloss said. “It’s a day full of halftime shows.”

He added:

“Our event is, kind of, a culmination of a lot of their seasons. … For east Idaho in general, this is the biggest event.”

The event is open to the public, with standard ICCU Dome admission. The concession stands will be open, and the event is expected to conclude around 4 p.m.

“It’s a full day of celebrating music and marching bands, and visual pageantry,” Kloss said.

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