San Angelo Central High Gets a New Band Hall This Summer

Central High School’s Mighty Bobcat Band has come far this year under the direction of Joel Ashbrook. The 300 plus band members earned their way into the UIL 6A State Band Marching Competition this school year, 37 student musicians will advance to the State UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition at the University of Texas in Austin this May. Those are just a couple of the band’s accomplishments this year.

Looking forward, there is more.

The band was invited to attend an upcoming major performance at  the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland in 2017.

“I think it is a wonderfully exciting time for the Bobcat Band and Central High School in general,” Joel Ashbrook, CHS Band Director said Tuesday via email. “We have so many groups that are beginning to do well and become noticed on a statewide and national level,” he said. “The band is quickly becoming known as one of the best bands around, and I could not be more happy and excited about the future growth and performing level of these groups of hard working students and parents.”

Considering the success and growth of the CHS band this year, the program gets a facelift when renovations to the band/orchestra hall begin over the summer this year. Which from the sounds of it, will leave the students and music staff as happy as larks.

The three-phrase construction will take place over the course of three summer breaks, slating the completion for summer of 2017. Renovating the original buildings will help to alleviate construction expense.

Phase One of the renovations will add much needed storage space and additional instrument storage units for both the band and orchestra. Phase Two will include the addition of ensemble sectional rooms, fourteen practice rooms, and video SKYPE studios so that students can take private lessons from anywhere in the world before, during or after school. Phase Three will add more storage and office space for band and orchestra, restrooms and dressing areas, and a loading dock for the loading and unloading of equipment.

Ashbrook will be meeting with school administration today about purchasing new band uniforms. “I’ve got the prototype made,” he said. “They are initially in favor of it. Its past time, our uniforms are old and outdated. In every contest we’ve gone to the judges have commented about the old style of our uniforms,” he explained. “The band has grown so much; we have to buy 30 or 40 new uniforms every year. Instead of buying the old style when I know we are going to change, we just need to go ahead and change, and buy one complete set.”

The band will purchase anywhere from 350-400 uniforms depending on how many students are enrolled. The number purchased includes a ten percent overage to allow for a vast assortment of different sized uniforms. Once the uniforms are ordered it will take three to four months to actually receive them. “Normally to get a good quality uniform, they run about $400 a piece,” Ashbrook said. The estimated cost for the Mighty Bobcat Band uniform purchase as a whole lies somewhere in the wheelhouse of $200,000-$250,000.

The high cost Ashbrook says is the reason bands only purchase uniforms every eight or nine years. “Every school does it; we are actually behind most of the other schools have already gotten their uniforms since we have last bought ours. So we are behind a few years, and really just trying to get everything caught up with the program.”

Once the administration approves the new uniform proposal it will then be presented to the school board for their approval. The final decision will be handed down by SAISD Administration sometime in April.

According to San Angelo ISD, the band hall upgrade is financed without a bond issue.

For more on the CHS Mighty Bobcat Band visit: www.chsbobcatband.org