The Morton High School marching band’s fifth Class 2A championship at Illinois State University Oct. 24 only solidified the band’s standing as one of the more successful organizations in Central Illinois.
Along with the Class 2A championship, the band also received high achievement in music performance, visual performance and overall effect, giving the band an automatic berth in the night finals, where it finished eighth overall of 42 bands from throughout the state.
Such a performance by the MHS band is expected by freshman members, said band director Jeff Neavor.
“This year, and last year even, the freshmen have never known anything but the band playing at night,” Neavor said. “There is something about ISU under the lights. They always turn it on.”
Compared to the early morning preliminary performance that day, the night-final performance showed a marked improvement, Neavor said.
“We had a much better performance in the evening,” he said.
Neavor, the band’s director for nine years now, has taken a once taunted music organization and turned it into one of the more successful bands in the area. Perhaps, the group received much of its attention after performing in Barack Obama’s inauguration parade earlier this year. But, for the past five Octobers, performances at ISU have proven the band’s might.
“My first year in Morton, I had never directed a marching band,” Neavor said. “There wasn’t a good atmosphere with the band prior to me coming here. We increased the number of pep bands and tried to support the athletics so they would, in turn, be supportive of us.”
Neavor said he recognized the first thing that needed to change for the program was community support, which was lacking.
“The first thing we tried to do was really get the community behind the band,” he said. “The most important thing was to build a good relationship with the coaches and the community to have that mutual support.”
It took about three years before parents and administrators adjusted to Neavor’s style — a style he learned through observing other band programs in the area.
“To be successful, young, in this field, you need to learn from the people that have learned the hard way,” Neavor said. “I’ll never figure it all out.”
Neavor was mentored by 30-year Illinois Valley Central High School band director Dan Dietrich. The two built a strong relationship through their work together in big-band performances.
“(Dietrich) and I would play in big bands together,” Neavor said. “For me, (Dietrich) was one of my heroes.”
Dietrich is in his last year as IVC band director. In his 30 years at IVC High School, he won 12 ISU championships.
Neavor credits Dietrich for bringing the marching band phenomenon to the Central Illinois area.
“He put Central Illinois on the map in the band world,” Neavor said. “(He) started all of this.”
Dietrich played high school football at Deer Creek-Mackinaw.
“Marching band hadn’t been invented yet,” Dietrich said.
Dietrich always had a love of the marching band genre, he said. Prior to Drum Corps International, marching band was run through veterans organizations, which sponsored competitions at the Illinois State Fair.
“The whole thing was incredible,” Dietrich said. “I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Dietrich eventually went on to try out for the ISU marching band, where he was eventually cut his freshman year. He was a music major.
“I was a horrible marcher,” he said.
But, during his junior year at ISU, he knew it was something of which he wanted to be a part.
“I thought I wanted to have a good marching band wherever I go,” he said. “Our marching, concert and jazz bands have all been successful.”
His first marching band championship at ISU came during his fourth year at IVC.
“It was a great experience and completely unexpected,” he said. “It was like, holy cow, we are good.”
The IVC program began to progress, becoming more consistent in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
“The one thing we used to have success with was finding a happy marriage between what a crowd wants to see and what a judge wants to see,” Dietrich said. “We found success with that.”
It worked — but only for a little more than a decade when the marching band genre began to change.
“I’ll never forget the year at ISU that we got beat by a band that didn’t have a drum line,” Dietrich said.
“One of the things that’s frustrating to band directors is that less is more,” he said. “To come out with 150 kids is almost a detriment anymore. Marching bands are becoming smaller and smaller and smaller. There is a demand for the art form.”
“I used to mentor (Neavor) on some things. I have kind of created my own problems by helping these people get better,” Dietrich said. “I’ve created a monster. But, I look at it with respect.”
As Dietrich moves closer to retirement, he knows the torch will be passed, he said.
And, Neavor said he would be happy to take that torch.
“I’d be honored,” he said.
