Husky Sports Band Continues To Thrive At St. Cloud State
ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- One band plays on at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) despite the school no longer having a Music Department. The Husky Sports Band has started rehearsals and is gearing up to play at athletic events and other special functions.
Claire Larson is the new director for the band. She says the band gets a lot of support from the entire campus community, and the biggest challenge is all of the unknowns:
"Those first rehearsals were the ones that I was most, you know, nervous about, just kind of getting those underway, how is the band going to play, how will they respond to new music? We have some new tunes in the folders, and those were just some of the early things that I was pondering before we got started."
Currently, the band has 27 members made up of students, faculty, and community volunteers.
Athletic Director Holly Schreiner says the band is a big asset for SCSU sports:
"For them to still be there and want to contribute to the environment of our programs just shows how much part of our team they really are, and they just create a wonderful environment at anything they're at."
The Husky Sports Band plays at a wide array of athletic events, including volleyball, women's and men's hockey, women's and men's soccer, wrestling, and, for the first time ever in 2026, at a swimming meet on October 3rd.
Larson says the band is willing to play pretty much anywhere:
"I would never say never to playing at an event, and he (swim team coach) was interested in having us, so that's going to be maybe the premier performance that we've ever played at a swim meet and we're looking forward to showing up for them just in the foyer there and then also just a very short appearance in the actual pool area because it will be loud."
Larson says it can be a challenge to play at all the different events, but the band gets tremendous support from athletics.
Athletic Director Holly Schreiner says their partnership with the Sports Band continues to grow every year, and swimming is just the latest example:
"Every time we've introduced the sports band to another sport or event, it's been nothing but positive, so as funny as it kind of sounds to have them at a swim meet. It's kind of funny for a minute, then it's like, yeah, that will be awesome, especially with the acoustics in the pool. You could be going to a concert for that; I mean, it's going to sound awesome in there."
The Husky Sports Band opens its season at the SCSU Volleyball game against Minnesota State Mankato on September 24th.
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