Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band Plays Yamaha
BUENA PARK, Calif. — The Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band recently purchased a full line of Yamaha Marching percussion equipment, including 8200 Series Field-Corps Bass Drums and Multi-Toms as well as SFZ snare drums, all in a blue forest finish to complement the hues of the scarlet and white school colors. The instruments also came with a complement of carriers and other accessories.
The Spirit of Houston is 250 members strong and serves as the largest spirit group on the University of Houston campus. A diverse group comprised of individuals from across the country the band has an almost equal mix of music majors and non-music majors. The band is open to all interested individuals, and distributes tuition to all contributing members. University of Houston football games, both home and away, serve as the band's primary performance outlet as it performs both prior to kickoff and at halftime.
With a growing number of participants, a demanding performance schedule and increased visibility, the Spirit of Houston needed percussion equipment it could rely on. Band Director David Bertman, who is also the Brass Caption Head for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, felt that Yamaha was the only choice, as he has depended on its products for twenty years.
"We believe that Yamaha is synonymous with high standards of quality in music education," says Bertman. "Its contribution to the students is undeniable."
"The Spirit of Houston is among the top band programs in the country," says Troy Wollwage, Yamaha Percussion Marketing Manager. "With its increased visibility come even greater demands on the band's time, as well as students who deserve to play on percussion equipment that sounds great game after game. It's nice to know that Yamaha is able to meet the needs of today's top collegiate marching bands."
In addition to football games, the band also leads pep rallies and a number of other events around the campus and city. Additionally, the Spirit of Houston has been invited to make appearances at various region and area marching competitions. The band has marched in numerous parades, including the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rodeo Parade. The Spirit of Houston has traveled around the nation to locations such as Ann Arbor, Mich.; West Point (Highland, N.Y.); Hattiesburg, Miss.; New Orleans, La.; Austin, Texas and Greenville, S.C. Most recently, the band competed for and won a performance spot in the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime show, produced by MTV.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamahapercussion.com.
 The Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band play Yamaha percussion. |
With a growing number of participants, a demanding performance schedule and increased visibility, the Spirit of Houston needed percussion equipment it could rely on. Band Director David Bertman, who is also the Brass Caption Head for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, felt that Yamaha was the only choice, as he has depended on its products for twenty years.
"We believe that Yamaha is synonymous with high standards of quality in music education," says Bertman. "Its contribution to the students is undeniable."
 The Spirit of Houston chose Yamaha for its reliability and durability. |
In addition to football games, the band also leads pep rallies and a number of other events around the campus and city. Additionally, the Spirit of Houston has been invited to make appearances at various region and area marching competitions. The band has marched in numerous parades, including the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rodeo Parade. The Spirit of Houston has traveled around the nation to locations such as Ann Arbor, Mich.; West Point (Highland, N.Y.); Hattiesburg, Miss.; New Orleans, La.; Austin, Texas and Greenville, S.C. Most recently, the band competed for and won a performance spot in the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime show, produced by MTV.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestral Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamahapercussion.com.