Indiana Wesleyan University is pleased to announce that Briana Blankenship will serve as the University’s first Director of Athletic Bands. Blankenship holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and a Master of Arts degree in Music with an emphasis in Trumpet Performance from Marshall University.
For over 18 years, Blankenship has been involved with bands as a performer and/or director. Under Blankenship’s baton, her bands have consistently received numerous superior ratings and won several awards, including a West Virginia State Marching Band Championship.
“I am excited to introduce Briana Blankenship as Indiana Wesleyan University’s Director of Athletic Bands,” says Michael Flanagin, IWU Director of Bands and Chair of the IWU Division of Music. “Professor Blankenship is the right person to lead the Marching Wildcats as we prepare for the inaugural season of marching band at IWU in Fall of 2021. Go Wildcats!”
“I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to serve as the Director of Athletic Bands at Indiana Wesleyan University,” says Blankenship. “It is truly a blessing and a dream come true to be the first-ever director of the Marching Wildcats.”
Indiana Wesleyan University’s marching band will debut for the first time in 2021. The band will perform at all home football games during pregame and halftime, with possible additional appearances at parades, high schools and other venues.
The ensemble will contain a color guard and drum majors as well as the standard marching band instrumentation including flutes/piccolos, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, mellophones, trombones, baritones, sousaphones, and drumline.
The addition of a marching band program adds a dimension to the Music Education curriculum that will help prepare future teachers in the marching arts. For more information on IWU’s Division of Music, visit www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/division-of-music/.
To express interest in joining the IWU marching band, visit the online registration link here.
