Band & Choir

Meetings are held the Second Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm, in room 210 by Mr. Meurer's office- 2nd floor St. Cecilia Theatre. Enter through the Theatre Lobby doors, and head upstairs!  See you there! 

The Band Boosters offer various fundraisers throughout the school year to support the costs of the band program. Students can earn funds to their Band Student Account to be put towards band expenses. Group fundraising events will support the program as a whole and are used for uniforms, equipment, and to help offset trip expenses. We greatly encourage you to attend our meetings, and make your opinion heard!

The Cotter Junior High Band program consists of three ensembles: Concert Band, Marching Band, and Jazz Band. These groups may be found performing year round throughout Winona and as far away as the Twin Cities. In our ensemble classes, students not only learn how to play their instruments and read music, but learn the value of music in our world, how to work as a team, become critical thinkers and listeners, and how to make independent musical decisions. Our ensembles are open to students of all ability levels, whether they have never played an instrument before to those who have been reading music for years. All students receive weekly lessons on their instrument to provide an extra musical challenge, as well as to develop skills in areas that are needed.

concert ensembles

Concert Band is for grades 9-10 and Wind Ensemble is for grades 11-12.  Each student receives one credit and each class meets 4 days/week for a full period. The bands perform at many concerts and events during the year. All performances are mandatory and each student is encouraged to participate in the Sub-Section Solo and Ensemble Contests.

jazz ensemble

Membership in jazz ensemble is by audition. The group meets two to three days a week in the morning before school. Attendance at rehearsals is mandatory. The ensemble performs at several concerts and festivals during the year and attendance at the performances are also mandatory.

jazz combos 

Cotter students have the opportunity to create small jazz combos coached by Band staff, which perform in jazz events throughout the year.

pep band 

The pep band is comprised of all students in Concert Band and Wind Ensemble. The pep band plays for football and basketball (boys and girls) games during the year. While all performances are required, any band member who is a member of the team for which the pep band is playing would be excused from that performance.

honor bands

Cotter students participate in several area honor bands during the school year. Membership in an honor band is by recommendation of the band director and being accepted by the organization that sponsors each band.

Winter drumline meets once per week during the school year before school. We work on drumline music, utilizing battery percussion (snares, basses, tenors), and mallet percussion. Students learn proper marching percussion technique, and are exposed to a different style of music than during traditional band class.

Small ensembles of like-instruments that meet weekly to rehearse music for performances. We offer flute choir, clarinet choir, trumpet ensemble, horn ensemble, sax ensemble, low brass ensemble, and percussion ensemble.

Jazz band is an extension of the curricular band program where students learn to perform in a variety of jazz styles such as swing, latin, rock, and funk. Students must be enrolled in concert band to audition. The jazz band performs at all curricular concerts, and additional venues such as the jazz lasagna dinner, the Cotter Jazz Festival, and the UMD Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival in Duluth MN. 

The parade marching unit is a highly recommended extracurricular organization that practices and performs during the months of June and early July. The band performs in several competitive parades and takes an out-of-state trip each summer. Recent destinations have included Colorado, St. Louis, Chicago, Michigan, Calgary, and Boston.

A small band that backs up our Cotter Show Choir. The group consists of piano, keyboards, guitar, bass, drumset, aux percussion, and horn players.

Winter Colorguard meets 2 times a week in the months of October-February and is an opportunity for students to learn and enforce basic colorguard skills while creating a winter guard show. Schedules are flexible, and this ensemble is open to all students grades 7-12.