Middleton High School’s state champion marching band and color guard kicked off their 2025-2026 season this week with their annual summer band camp. Nearly 200 students in the band and color guard are preparing to perform at four marching competitions: Waukesha North on Sept. 21, Stoughton on Oct. 5, the Sauk Prairie Marching Invite on Oct. 12, and the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Championships at UW-Whitewater on Oct. 18.
“We’re excited to start this season with the momentum we built by winning the 2024 Wisconsin state championship,” said band director Eric Rothacker. “Everyone worked incredibly hard last year, and we know we need to work even harder this season to see continued success. We couldn’t do it without our strong student leaders and the amazing staff and volunteers supporting their work.”
In addition to winning the 2024 state title, the band and color guard also earned recognition for Best Musical Performance and, for the third consecutive year, Best Color Guard.
At the summer camp, students participate in section-specific rehearsals, full-ensemble drills, and other activities to prepare for their competition schedule in the fall. In addition to marching competitions, the band and color guard will perform at two home football games at Borden Athletic Complex on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 as well as the homecoming parade on Sept. 17.
This year’s theme is Cleared For Take Off, an homage to the heyday of consumer travel. It will feature music by U2, George Gershwin, and Christopher Tin. The band will take this aeronautical theme to a new level by bringing an actual airplane on the field as a prop.
In addition to Rothacker, the ensemble is led by band directors Doug Brown and Michael Ver Voort and color guard coaches Kasey Graff and Madeline Holman. Percussion coaches include Patrick Coughlin, Hayli Lavallee, Sebastiaan de Waart, and Charlie Fenske. A team of staff members and volunteers including Darlayne Coughlin, Kelly Werth, Noah Brockway, and Alaina Riley also support the ensemble.
The band is conducted by student drum majors Haley Jodlowski, Asha Chakravartula, and Gavin Wiese.
Learn more on the Middleton Band Booster website, and join MCPASD in wishing the marching band and color guard another amazing season.
Photo credit: Amy Unbehaun