July 11, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Get to know senior SJO Marching Band member Jo Schmitz

My favorite thing about marching band is the community. I made my best friends through the program.

My favorite memory from the marching band is when I started talking to my future best friend. She noticed that I was sitting alone at lunch, and, even though she didn’t know me, she dragged me over to socialize with the other freshmen.

My favorite piece to perform was Decomposers because the music was the most exciting.

My favorite costume was also from Decomposers. As a guard member, I was dressed as a skeleton.

Probably the biggest misconception people have about marching band is that you need to be able to play an instrument when you join. I had mediocre music knowledge when I joined, but learned to play various percussion instruments and the euphonium during marching band.

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