The Washburn Rural High School Marching Band will be wearing new uniforms for the 2019 marching season.

After many years, the band will be trading in their berets for plumed hats. The school’s colors –blue, white, and black– will be apparent in the new uniforms. The old material will be crafted into new items such as bags and pillows. These items can be purchased by current marching band students as well as band alumni.

The band wears their uniforms at home football games, parades, and various competitions around Kansas. The uniform unifies the band and often pairs well with the color guards’ costume. These costumes fit with the theme of the marching band show. For instance, for the band’s 2018 show Stained Glass, the color guard wore various different colors on their jumpsuit to illustrate glass shards. Props are also used, as they help to create an atmosphere to go along with the music.

It is important for the band to look identical on the field, as they make numerous shapes in accordance with their marching formations. If even one student is dressed improperly, the effect is lost.

Junior Natalie Rausch plays trumpet in the marching band. She thinks band uniforms are extremely important and is excited to wear the new ones next year.

“I am excited that we’re getting new uniforms because we haven’t had new uniforms in over twelve years and we were due for a much needed update,” Rausch says. “I think it’s important that the band all wears the same uniform because it makes our show look cleaner and makes us look like a team.”

The marching band will start preparing for next year’s show in June. The theme of their next show is The Coven, a story of the Harlem Witch Trials. The band has been trying to be more competitive in the past few years, and a uniform change would certainly reflect the band’s transformation. There is one aspect of the band that will never change, Rausch says, and that is the friendships that are formed.

“I really like marching band because it is where I’ve met some of my closest friends. It’s definitely been my favorite part of my high school experience and it’s like having a second family,” Rausch explains. “I would encourage people to join marching band because from football games, to competitions, to bus rides, it’s all just such a great atmosphere.”