Westfield High School - Bands of America Grand National Champions

Perrin · Nov 17, 2003

Champions from Westfield High marched home

"Discipline pays off"

08:18 PM CST on Sunday, November 16, 2003
By Natasha Ghoneim / 11 News

HARRIS COUNTY – Two hundred and twenty five students at a Harris County high school can call themselves national champs. This weekend the Westfield High School Band battled with others from across the country in Indianapolis. And the lessons didn't stop with the Grand National Championship.

The cheers inside Terminal A at Bush Intercontinental Airport were deafening Sunday as the band stars met their adoring fans

"I was very excited. It was a once in a lifetime experience," said one band member.

The Westfield High School Band or the Big Red Band, to those in the know, played with their hearts and souls.

"It's been our love for the past three to four months," said another musician.

The students battled against 90 other bands from across the country in Indianapolis.

"This group adjusted to all the circumstances they've been presented with," said Band Director Phillip Geiger, "and kept on getting better."

After three days of competition, Westfield claimed the Bands of America Grand National Championship title.

"My knees locked," added a band member. "I don't think I could really move."

And the proud members of the Big Red Band say they brought home more than just medals and trophies.

"I've learned about responsibility and discipline," said one young lady. "I've matured so much."

"Discipline pays off," continued another young man. "You may not like it at first, but it will pay off."

They are lessons the students will carry with them long after they put their instruments in the case for the last time.

Twice the Westfield High School Band was a runner up, before it won the National Championship this year. The celebrated band has also won five state titles.

Rocketman95 · Nov 17, 2003

Good for them.

ima_drummer2k · Nov 17, 2003

That band is a juggernaut. They're better than most college bands. It's been that way for years with Spring being their only competition in the city.

When I was in HS, they used to make us look silly every time we played them. They had all the best equipment, the best teachers, best drills, etc. They looked and sounded like a college band. It was embarrassing...

If you've ever seen the movie Meatballs, my school band (Cy Creek) was like Bill Murray's camp, and Westfield's was the rich camp across the lake. I know a guy that turned down teaching jobs at two different colleges to teach percussion there...because Westfield paid more.

JamesC · Nov 17, 2003

I'll give Westfield props for putting Houston on the map, even though I'm a Klein Forest guy.

Baqui99 · Nov 17, 2003

imadrummer2K, I remember that too. When I was in high school at Kempner, Spring and Westfield used to absolutely dominate the marching competitions. Clements has always been the best band in Fort Bend ISD, but Westfield was known all around the city.

UNGUS · Nov 18, 2003

Dude...The UNG-MAN is a WHS grad of '00...I never joined the band (thank God). I had plenty of friends who were in the band and it's not all fun from what they had to say. To say Geiger is demanding is generous, but more power to The Big Red Band for bringin' the prestige to Westfield. (Myself being on the alum list is quite a prestige boost itself)

As for The Big Red Band being better than some college bands...absolutely true...I saw Tech perform at halftime this weekend...

Rocket Fan · Nov 18, 2003

congrats to them

amazing band. I went to cyfair so we got to see them quite a bit when we played them during the first years I was in high school and when we were in the same houston boa as them all throughout school.. they have a lot of assistants who go through there who are very talented.. one of them was one of my directors at cyfair one year and ended up now being the head guy at cyfalls and making them one of the best in the state.. very talented program from instructors to students to everyone else...

spring is also amazing..

we made boa houston finals but no where near national championship.. but I got to walk 7 miles in the rose parade wohoo lol

francis 4 prez · Nov 18, 2003

hell yeah. i graduated in 2000, and it's nice to know we can own the whole country when we feel like it. like UNGUS said, geiger wasn't exactly the most well liked guy at the school (a few people i know quit our senior year) but i guess it gets results since we've been dominant for a long time.

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