Schools

Spring-Ford to Have Unique Fight Song in 2012

The Notre Dame fight song may go by the wayside in light of recent desires to have a signature song for the Spring-Ford Rams.

The Spring-Ford Golden Ram Marching Band may be "marching to a new tune" this fall for the 2012 football season. Not only will the program have a new band director, but it may also have a new fight song.

Currently, the band uses the Notre Dame University fight song during football games. However, Spring-Ford Area School District Board of Education Vice President Joe Ciresi said negotiations were made with Dr. Andrew Yozviak of the West Chester University band to create a new fight song for the Rams.

Yozviak and Spring-Ford have worked closely together in the past. Ciresi said the cost of the new song was less than $1,000 and came out of the band budget.

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"Every time we do a game, we're doing the Notre Dame fight song," said Ciresi. "The conversation was, 'Do we have our own?' We were told we could get one written. We had a bite, which was very, very low. The Superintendent felt it was a good thing and the band would own it so that it's Spring-Ford's fight song."

Ciresi said the goal is for the song to debut for the 2012 football season.

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There were also some talks in late-February of giving the school's alma mater a refresh. Ciresi said no movements have been made on that, but the idea has been discussed.

"The conversation was basically a refresh like any other music," he said. "Someone goes through and gives it a little more pep or brings it up to modern day. The hope is to get everyone in the district to know it and be able to recite it and know the tune. The alma mater will not be thrown out and a new one written. When we have an opportunity, the hope is that it will just become a little bit more modern."

There is no timeline on a refreshed alma mater, but Ciresi compared the refresh to a modern Broadway show.

"You're not going to change the composition of the music, you're going to change the musical style," he said. "Maybe it just lifts up a little bit more. The lyrics all stay the same. The basic tune will be there. Everyone will know the tune.

"The best thing I can say is for example, take something on Broadway. You'll have a musical made in the 1950s like Anything Goes! It's the same music, but the music has been refreshed. Same exact song, same melody, but it's just been refreshed. That's the idea. Just to refresh it. It's 55-56 years old. Nothing's wrong with that, but you can't find kids that know the lyrics or the tune. That's something you should take pride in. 'Hey that's our alma mater that's playing!' That hasn't really moved at all in the process as long as I know. It was discussed but nothing really happened."

The district hopes to have a new band director in place as soon as possible. Ciresi said the board of education and administration is taking the process very seriously.

"The board is committed to find the most qualified individual to run that program and will put every resource we can behind it to make sure we get the right person in the position," he concluded. "We have an outstanding band program and music program in the district. We want to see it continue and grow. Even the two changes we're talking about is to enhance the program and enhance Spring-Ford."


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