Bishop Heelan Band

The Bishop Heelan Band program is dedicated to giving its students a wide range of musical opportunities focusing on education and faith. Students participate in concert band, jazz band, jazz combo, marching band, pep band, small ensembles, solos, and mass music. At Heelan, the students are given the skills to become life-long musicians and music lovers. Each student receives private instruction once a week with individualized lessons based on student needs. 

The Bishop Heelan Concert Band performs three concerts each year. These concerts can be found on the main Heelan calendar. The concert band performs a variety of literature from different time periods, styles, and cultures. This year, the band is particularly excited about traveling to New York City in June. While there, the students will have the opportunity to meet and work with a Broadway musician, attend a Broadway show, visit the Today Show studio, tour numerous New York iconic buildings, and have a recording clinic. 

The Bishop Heelan Jazz Band is a performance group dedicated to performing standard works of the jazz library, as well as new pieces of music. The focus of this ensemble is the education and study of jazz music. Although the band performs at 3-5 festivals each year, this is a non-competitive ensemble. This year, the Bishop Heelan Jazz Band commissioned Minneapolis-based composer Kyle Novak to write a piece for the group. The biggest event for the jazz band is the annual Swing Show every April. This concert features the middle school jazz bands, the high school jazz band, jazz combos, and a guest artist. 

Students are welcome to participate in jazz combos at Heelan.These groups focus more on individual performance and improvisation. Music for these groups is suggested by the members of the group or written by members of the group. The jazz combos allow students to have an individual voice while participating in a team-building activity.

The Heelan Marching Crusaders march at every home football game. This ensemble performs a different show at each home game, with different music and different drill. The marching band rehearses during normal band class times.