FDSH Bands
Wind Ensemble is the advanced concert band at Fort Dodge Senior High and meets every day during 1st period. The Wind Ensemble studies upper level high school and collegiate concert band literature. The band has earned a Division I rating at the IHSMA Large Group Festival for the past 9 years and 16 of the past 18 years.
Symphonic Band is the Junior Varsity concert band at Fort Dodge Senior High and meets every day during 1st period. The Symphonic Band studies intermediate and advanced high school concert band literature. The band performs at the Holiday Concert, the Mid-Winter Concert, IHSMA Large Group Festival, and Springtasia Concert.
Pep Band: The entire band is split equally into 2 pep bands--Pep Band A and Pep Band B and each pep band performs at 3 Varsity girls/boys double-headers. The band plays during time-outs, quarter breaks, and halftime of both games, as well as in-between the girls and boys games. The students are encouraged to play at all of the games and many do. The students find this to be an enjoyable part of the band program and they are able to get into the games for free!
Jazz Lab holds auditions in the fall and members must be enrolled in band all 3 trimesters. The band is mainly comprised of upperclassmen. The Jazz Lab lets students demonstrate their creativity and personality through jazz music and improvisations. The band performs at community events, NICBA District Jazz Festival, IHSMA State Jazz Contest, Iowa Lakes Jazz Festival, NIACC Jazz Festival, Charles City Jazz Festival, Woodward-Granger Jazz Festival, the Iowa Jazz Championships and the annual “Perspectives in Jazz Concert.” The Jazz Lab earned its 10th consecutive Division I Rating at the 2013 IHSMA Jazz Festival.
Jazz Ensemble is a non-auditioned group mainly consisting of underclassmen. The Jazz Ensemble performs at the annual “Perspectives in Jazz Concert” and performed at the IHSMA State Jazz Festival for the 1st time in January 2013.
The All-American Dodger Marching Band performs pregame and at halftime at the home football games during the fall. They also participate in various marching band contests including the North Central Iowa Marching Band Invitational and State Marching Band Festival. The Dodgers earned their 13th consecutive Division I Rating at the IHSMA State Marching Band Contest held at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, October 6, 2012.
Color Guard is a fall activity and is a visual representation of the music in a performance. Members march and perform along with their marching band using flags, sabers, etc. Dance involves jazz, modern and ballet. Color Guard performs during pregame and halftime of home football games.
