BYU-Idaho formed its first marching band in many years to march in Rexburg’s 2025 Independence Day Parade.
David Faires, BYU-Idaho’s director of bands, who leads the Symphony Band and this year’s marching band, said this band is unique because it has three different groups coming together. The band will consist of band students at BYU-Idaho, the RixStix Drum Line and a local color guard group that consists mostly of BYU-Idaho students.
Faires said the university had a band when it first became BYU-Idaho, but it ended after serval years. He is excited to share this newly formed band with Rexburg and is impressed with what they were able to achieve, with little preparation time.
The band has only practiced together three times. They have multiple songs to play throughout the parade.
“We have a variety of music. We have a large patriotic song called the ‘Spirit of America,’ you’ll hear the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and some other American patriotic pieces,” Faires said. “And then we’re also playing something that’s very popular right now, the music from ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ We think a lot of people will like that.”
Faires said the band has done an impressive job and there is hope for more collaboration in the future.
“This has already exceeded expectations this year,” Faires said. “We weren’t really sure how big of a group we’d have and so it is really an astounding group to look at. Visually, the color guard flags look patriotic and look great, and the university has really helped us with things like T-shirts and banners … It’s going to be really fun performing for the community.”
Spencer Eddington and Joseph Hemley, two of the band’s tuba players, said they loved playing in their high school bands and jumped on the opportunity to play for BYU-Idaho.
“I think it’s just really exciting because we’re an enormous band that’s come together in almost no time,” Eddington said.
The two tuba players agreed that it is exciting to come together and perform for the Rexburg community.
“BYUI really hasn’t had a marching band ever since the school switched from Ricks to BYU-Idaho,” Hemley said. "So it’s just nice that the people of Rexburg are going to be able to see a marching band again and enjoy that.”
In addition to the Fourth of July P
arade, the band will accompany the Madison High School band in Porter Park.