One Vandal alumnus has visited Moscow for University of Idaho’s Homecoming every year for the past 36 years, and with him comes a small army.
Shawn Bowman | Courtesy
The Asotin Marching Band, directed by UI alumnus Shawn Bowman, has marched in the homecoming parade every year for nearly 40 years. This year, Bowman will bring about 100 students with him to cheer the Vandals to victory.
Shawn Bowman graduated from UI with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1979 and received his master’s in 1982. Ever since, he said he brings the Asotin High School Marching Band from Asotin, Washington, with him to Homecoming to celebrate and march in the parade.
Bowman, originally from Grangeville, Idaho, played in his high school band. He said a professor of music from UI visited his school’s band and suggested Bowman attend UI. This visitor was Robert Spevacek, the director of the UI Marching Band at the time.
Bowman came to UI in 1975, and played in the Vandal Marching Band every year he was in school. Bowman said his high school band director never brought them to UI Homecoming, so he was not exposed to Homecoming until his freshman year.
“Guest bands would come and I would be one of the hosts and lead them around or tell them where to go and how to line up on the field,” Bowman said. “When I graduated then, that was something I really wanted to do with our band here in Asotin.”
Bowman has been the Asotin High School band director for 36 years, and the band has marched in UI’s Homecoming Parade almost every one of those years.
“There is probably a year or two somewhere in there that we didn’t make it for whatever reason,” Bowman said. “But since 1980, we’ve pretty much been there all the time.”
This year, the Asotin Marching Band is composed of students between sixth and 12th grade and is about 100 students strong. Bowman said all of his students march and play pep, jazz and concert music. Marching is part of the students’ musical curriculum and experience, Bowman said. They focus on up-beat songs and will play “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa for the parade Saturday, and might possibly play “Party Rock Anthem.”
Bowman said his students always enjoy coming up for Homecoming.
“To be able to go onto a college campus and be right down on the field with football players who are 6-foot-8, 300 pounds, yeah, that’s cool,” Bowman said.
Bowman and his band enjoy playing in the Homecoming Parade and the crowd responds well to their up-tempo style.
Bowman said he also wants to expose his students to UI as well
“My students can see what it’s all about and watch the Vandal Marching Band and see the Vandals play football,” Bowman said.
The Asotin Marching Band doesn’t just march in the Homecoming Parade. They also march in the Lewiston Round-Up Parade and do their own halftime show for Asotin Homecoming.
Bowman said the band is often asked to play at Washington State University, the veterans’ home, senior citizens’ home or the Gladish Community and Cultural Center in Pullman.
“Asotin is always proud to represent the community wherever we go, and I feel that’s the job of the marching band. To give a visual aspect of the community and go out and represent them,” Bowman said. “My kids know that too. We do concert band for us, we do jazz for us, but pep and marching band are for other people, the team or the community.”
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected]