The Fightin’ Roo Band is preparing to perform strongly this 2026 football season for competition and the halftime show.
“What excites me the most is the motivation that the students have to get better every rehearsal,” Ben Ayers, director of bands, said. “Every day that we come into rehearsal with a new mindset that every single time we perform is a better chance to do our craft.”
The band will perform “The Matador,” showcasing “the story of the struggle between a matador and a bull,” Ayers said. The story will be told through elements such as costumes of the matador and the bull figure. A band member's family also made a prop that creates a Spanish bullfighting arena to help set the scene.
The routine will be brought to life through musical selections including “España cañí,” by Pascual Marquina Narro; “Libertango,” by Astor Piazzolla; “El tango de Roxanne,” by José Feliciano; and “Boléro,” by Maurice Ravel.
The band this year is young, Ayers said.
“We have lots of underclassmen that are going to fuel the future of the band to be really successful and have lots of growth throughout the season this year,” he said.
Ayers said he hopes the band members grow throughout the season.
“To watch them walk off the field the last time and be proud of the work that they've done and put in throughout the season and all of the success that they've accomplished” is what he looks forward to the most.
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