Reanne L. Nakapa’ahu (’14 Music Ed.) was a member of the Cougar Marching Band drumline from fall 2009 to spring 2011, when she became drum major. She held that leadership position until she graduated in spring 2014. Here, she answers some questions about her time with CMB.
What instrument did you play?
I played tenors on the drumline and was also a drum major for three years.
How many years were you in CMB?
Five years.
Were you in band in high school or middle school, too?
Yes! I started my music and journey in 2003 at King Intermediate School in Kaneohe, Hawai’i … » More …
The WSU Fight Song, the roaring crowd, the electric atmosphere.
Washington State University’s Cougar Marching Band is often the heart and soul that connects WSU alumni and fans at these games.
In this episode, new Cougar Marching Band director Jon Sweet takes magazine associate editor Adriana Janovich behind the scenes. He talks about the music, the marching, the fans, and the incredible Coug spirit in the band.
This episode’s music is from the Cougar Marching Band at a November 2023 football game.
The Cougar Marching Band is raising money for new uniforms. Learn more or donate for the uniforms.
Listen to Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) music from the past and today, starting with early recordings in 1897 and up to contemporary songs from the Washington State University recording studio.
The Sam Morris Collection (Courtesy Tabitha Erdey, Cultural Resources Program Manager, Nez Perce National Historic Park and Research Center)
This two-CD set was produced by Loran Olsen, WSU professor emeritus of music and Native American studies.
Music stimulates the parts of the brain that register pleasure, provoking memories, reducing stress, and profoundly influencing our moods. It’s both a salve and a distraction. And, during the current novel coronavirus pandemic, it offers perhaps one of the easiest and most accessible forms of self-care.
Music comforts us. It alleviates anxiety, helps us cope with emotions, and offers an outlet. It’s art, and art saves lives.
Here are some suggestions from the Cougar Nation for your listening pleasure during the pandemic.
Dean Karr (’88 Fine Arts) Music video director, photographer, visual artist
Eruption by Van Halen on Van Halen (Warner Bros., 1978). … » More …
Music venues: “I like the little venues where I can go see punk rock. The Fonda (Theatre) always has good music. The Regent downtown, they book a lot of punk rock there. The Greek Theatre is always great, especially how they light up the trees. It’s really beautiful. It’s like a smaller Hollywood Bowl.”
The fight song of Washington State University, written by two women students, turns 100 years old on February 20, 2019. It's famous tune has appeared in movies, on the space shuttle, and in numerous WSU games and events over the last century. » More ...
Since the Washington State University Fight Song was composed and adopted in 1919, it has taken flight on a space shuttle, adapted in several musical styles, sung by John Candy in a movie, and taken on great meaning for the Cougar Nation.
Listen to the first known recording of the Fight Song (from 1934), the Fight Song broadcast to the Space Shuttle Challenger to honor astronaut and WSU alum John Fabian ’62, and watch “Tom Tuttle from Tacoma” belt out “Fight, fight, fight for Washington State” in the 1985 movie Volunteers.
Each fall, the WSU Alumni Association’s wildly popular Feast of the Arts dinner series brings together some of the very best aspects of WSU for a can’t-miss evening. These special dinners feature wines from a different Coug winery expertly paired with exquisite food courses by Executive Chef Jamie Callison of the Carson College of Business School of Hospitality Business Management and his talented students.
“I work with my students to craft a menu inspired by WSU-focused fare—like fresh vegetables from the WSU Organic Farm and Wagyu beef from the Premium Beef Program,” Chef Jamie explains. The Feast also incorporates the WSU » More …
Gator Tail, faculty jazz quartet (Brad Ard, David Jarvis, Brian Ward, Greg Yasinitsky) (contemporary hard bop—even a classic Hammond B-3 organ can be found on the album)
