Sean Keck kicked off the new year with his one-year anniversary as director of the Cassopolis bands and choirs.

He spent the spring getting to know everybody and conducting at a very wet Memorial Day Parade.

Then the Cassopolis Ranger marching band started the 2015-2016 school year in mid-July at Central Michigan University. This was the first time in many years that Cassopolis had hosted an away camp, and time was spent learning a competitive-style marching show, titled; “The Life, The Dreams, And The Death Of A Clown.”

The Ranger band members memorized the music, choreography and marching for the show and performed it during half-time at home football games and at three competitions during the fall season including taking a Division II rating at the Niles MSBOA Marching Band Festival.

And when the varsity football team hosted and traveled for the playoff this season, the Ranger band was there as well, up to the end at Pewamo-Westphalia.

Keck has also been active with the Cassopolis Band Boosters in raising funds for the music program. In the summer Keck worked with the newly re-formed Olivet College marching band and Jeremy Duby, director of bands there, offered the Rangers an incredible deal on two desperately needed full-size fiberglass sousaphones.

Not a day later, the deacons at the Cassopolis United Presbyterian Church made a generous donation of $200. A raffle at the Christmas concert allowed the boosters to pay for two instruments that are greatly needed for next season.

Keck also works regularly alongside the Band Boosters in the concession stand at Cassopolis athletic events to help support the program.

The music program capped off the year on Dec. 9. The combined forces of the junior high bands/choirs and the senior high bands/choirs met in Ross Beatty auditorium for the annual winter holiday concert.

Repertoire selections included “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “Frosty The Snowman,” “Highlights from the Star Wars Saga,” the “Nutcracker Suite” and a grand finale of Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”

The performance of “Sleigh Ride” was accompanied on the slap stick by the audience raffle-winner local businessman, band father and good sport Scott Ward.

“Looking forward, I can only say that I am incredibly excited to see what the future brings as I continue to work with these talented young professionals,” Keck said. “Make sure to keep an eye out for our pre-festival, festival and area concerts in the coming months.”