West Catholic High School's band is performing throughout southern Italy, including in Rome, during spring break. The group of 161 students and parents departed March 31 and will return April 8. The award-winning band may even get to perform for Pope Francis; in 2011, the band was honored to perform for Pope Benedict XVI. Use #wcbandsb2017 on social media to follow their adventure!
The West Catholic band has a long tradition of participation in international invitational events. They have performed recently in Montreal, Canada; Killarney, Ireland; and Frammersbach, Germany. To travel to Italy, West Catholic High School band students have individually and collectively taken jobs, mowed lawns, baby sat and shoveled snow throughout the community to fundraise for the trip since it was announced in 2015. The Band Boosters also dedicated their two most recent annual fundraising events to help defray costs for the students. The band is grateful to the numerous employers, friends, family and sponsors who have helped achieve this milestone.
The West Catholic band program draws students from several cities around Grand Rapids. Currently, 20% of the student body participates in the music program, making it the largest program at the Distinguished High School level. Additionally, director Darren LaPrise also teaches 5th-through-8th graders in bands at West Catholic's partner elementary schools. All told, the entire music program also involves over 300 students in grades five through 12.
The West Catholic band has earned medals in concert and marching band competitions every year since 1998 at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra (MSBOA) Festivals. This year’s participants earned several individual medals, as well. The band has earned MSBOA’s highest rating of Division One for concert band in 2000, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2015, and in marching band in 2001, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
West Catholic band alumni currently perform in bands at an impressive list of colleges and universities: Aquinas College, Alma College, Central Michigan University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Indiana University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Northern Michigan University, University of Notre Dame, Purdue University and Western Michigan University. In addition to a lifelong love of music, many lifelong friendships have developed in the band.
Even more gratifying than the medals, college band memberships and friendships are the number of alumni who participate in parish music programs every week and the number of priests who are alumni of the school and band. Two of West Catholic’s recent alumni are currently studying to enter the priesthood: David Sacha (West Catholic class of 2013) and Hunter Ostapowicz (West Catholic class of 2014).
Mr. Darren LaPrise has been the director of bands at West Catholic since 1996 and also serves as the associate director of the West Catholic concert choir. He has been nominated twice for the Grammy of National Music Educator of the year. He has conducted the marching bands, the concert bands, the jazz bands, and the West Catholic musicals. He is happily married to Lisa and has two sons, Preston (17) and Carson (15). He has his bachelor’s degree in music education from Michigan State University and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University. Mr. LaPrise is also a regular trombone player for the Cathedral Brass at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Grand Rapids. He dabbles in arranging and composition but mostly enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, watching sports and, of course, music.
West Catholic High School serves more than 500 students in 9th through 12th grade. Learn more here.