Wonderful Sound Compliments Beautiful View
The Buena Vista University marching band made its first appearance in 21 years on campus while entertaining players and fans this fall on Peterson Field at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.
The physical beauty of Buena Vista University attracted Josh Dunsbergen to the Storm Lake campus more than one year ago.
The sound of the place has him even more excited about his college choice.
Dunsbergen plays trombone for the BVU Marching Blue, the University’s marching band, which made its first appearance in 21 years on campus while entertaining players and fans during the Beavers’ home football games this fall on Peterson Field at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.
“There’s a lot of excitement and energy surrounding the band’s comeback after being gone 21 years... We want this to be as good as it can for BVU.”
Josh Dunsbergen
The BVU Marching Blue’s debut came Sept. 14 as the band played pregame music and a halftime show featuring the sounds of Queen. “We Will Rock You,” a Queen standard, was one selection the band covered. The title described how Dunsbergen felt about the 36-member group that began practice this season with one week of 10-hour days before the school year commenced.
“There’s a lot of excitement and energy surrounding the band’s comeback after being gone 21 years,” says Dunsbergen. “We came to school early and worked hard to get the band ready. Everyone showed positive attitudes. We want this to be as good as it can for BVU.”
Dunsbergen, a sophomore from Lynnville, mirrors the academic experience of most fellow musicians in that he’s not a music major. He studies criminology and psychology. As such, he also benefits this fall from another new entity on campus, BVU’s Center for Criminal Justice Studies.
“We have business majors, education majors, digital media majors, music majors, and several other majors represented in the BVU Marching Blue,” says Tiffany Wurth, BVU director of bands. “Being in the band gives our students another avenue to share their talents with the student body and the community. Plus, it’s a great part of the well-rounded academic and extracurricular experience you receive at BVU.”
Dunsbergen’s array of talents and interests shows in how he arrived. The two-time state wrestling tournament participant was recruited to wrestle for the Beavers. Instead, he ended up running distance events and the steeplechase for the track team. In his spare time, he picked up his trombone and began playing for the BVU Blue Steel as Wurth—with help from administrators, staff members, and generous BVU benefactors—resurrected the University’s pep band, a precursor to the Marching Blue.
“I joined the pep band and had so much fun playing,” Dunsbergen says. “And then we traveled to area high schools last winter and joined their pep bands on certain nights. Being at Newell-Fonda High School and playing in a 50-person pep band as the state’s best girls’ basketball team (Class 1A) played before a packed house, you could just feel the electricity. It was a great feeling.”
The place that had a “buena vista” (Spanish for “beautiful view”) now has a magnificent sound to complete the lakeshore scene.
“BVU has been a great fit for me,” Dunsbergen says. “The fact I’m in band speaks to all the opportunities here. It’s so easy and so much fun to get involved.”