Photo courtesy of Chris Cooper.
Homewood High School Band director Chris Cooper, center, walks with the band as they appear in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland in 2024.
Chris Cooper is excited for the Homewood High School Band’s halftime show this year.
“I’ve been on four Macy’s parades, four Rose parades, [an] Ireland trip, many Orlando trips, [a] Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade and then the George Bush inauguration parade. So, we’ve done quite a bit in the last 20-something years,” Cooper said. “This year is going to be kind of one of the fun shows, … and we’ve got some cool surprises. That’s all I’m gonna say. We’ve got something that you’ve never seen before at Homewood.”
The show features all Spanish-themed music, starting with “Spirit of the Bull” from the opening of the movie “Gladiator” and then moving to the auxiliary feature, “Sway” by Michael Bublé, and ending with “Malagueña” by composer Ernesto Lecuona.
“Homewood is a very traditional band, and we’re always going to stay true to our traditions,” Cooper said. “While bands have gone to playing softer — more artistic, I guess you could say — that's not who we are. We want a big college band sound. We want to entertain the audience, and we want people standing up at the end of our halftime show.”
Cooper began his time with Homewood’s music program in 1999 as the middle school band director and high school assistant band director. He took over as the high school band director in 2019.
Homewood’s first football game of the season, and the band’s first halftime show performance, will be Aug. 23 at John Carroll. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
