By Zena Hargroves | The performance of Howard Payne University’s Yellow Jacket band at football games is a highlight to see and enjoy. This season the band is changing things up in a new way including a new musical approach, a new wardrobe, and a new performance.
Frank Nelson, HPU band director, said, “The style hasn’t really changed in the case of music. We have played rock, Spanish, and we even did dragons last year. It’s definitely different in that we will use acoustics instead of just wind and percussion, but they will be miked.”
Along with the new musical approach, they will be doing a standstill performance.
Although new, Nelson is confident the standstill will be an entertaining performance for the crowd.
“It has been about 10 years since a standstill performance has been done, but it was very well received,” said Nelson.
While the band is drawing on inspiration in the past for performances, they are looking to something new with their uniforms. There has been discussion to redesign the traditional uniforms that the band has worn for several years.
Ultimately, the new uniform will consist of a trademark HPU short-sleeved blue polo, paired with black athletic shorts, to combat the heat of the midday sun.
Many are excited for the new changes of the band. It is different from previous years, but Nelson believes this is a good sign of change moving forward.
The new performance was performed for the first time at the halftime show during the football game against George Fox University on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The new uniforms will be showcased today Saturday, Sept. 24 at the East Texas Baptist University game during halftime.