Fans who have seen the Ada-Borup basketball teams at Target Center have heard their unique pep band perform. You won't hear band staples such as "Don't Stop Believin' from this group, under the leadership of Richard Tuttle. Instead, Tuttle writes and arranges the band's music.
"I write and arrange my own stuff," Tuttle said.
Tuttle, in an interview took over the struggling Ada-Borup pep band in 2003, replacing the traditional pep band with sheet music motif with a new and unique sound. One of their songs titled "Sadie Hawkins Day" is a group favorite. "The kids liked it," he said.
Tuttle describes the group's sound as similar to ska, which later evolved into reggae. "They get the melody and it's all double," he said.
Guitars, keyboards and bass also drive the music. "Sometimes I give them the melody," Tuttle said.
Tuttle also mentioned that he give the students a stake in the material. "I try to give students ownership in the music," he said.
In choosing songs to be played during the season, Tuttle and the students go from a list of 20 songs, The list is then cut down to 10 and then to five. Each year, three new songs are added to their repertoire. "We find songs we like," mentioned Tuttle.
As for Tuttle's memorable moments with the Ada-Borup pep band, he said there were so many. KARE-TV did a feature on the band. He also enjoys the band playing at Target Center.
"Target Center is one of my favorite places to play," Tuttle stated.
The Ada-Borup pep band, seated in the lower part of Section 138 is performing before the girls basketball team takes on the Minneota Vikings for the state Class A girls basketball title. Can the band help support the Cougars on their way to a state championship?
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