The Westlake High School Band Program offers students in grades 9-12 an unparalleled musical and performance experience, with programs in marching band, concert band, percussion, jazz and color guard.

 

The Westlake Band was organized in 1969 by James Hejl, and developed under the direction of Lee Boyd Montgomery, Jr., Gerald Babbitt and Van Ragsdale. Kerry Taylor has served as Director of Bands since 1989. The band has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and China to perform at various clinics and festivals and has received numerous awards.

 

In its 40+ year history, the Chaparral Band has won the Texas State Honor Band three times. The Westlake High School Band is also one of only 14 bands world-wide to win the prestigious Sudler Shield and Sudler Flag, which are international awards given annually by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

 

The band has consistently earned University Interscholastic League Sweepstakes trophies for superior performances in Marching, Concert, and Sight reading competitions and has performed at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois.  The band performed in Carnegie Hall in March 2005 and April 2009 and at the 2006 American Bandmasters Association Convention in Richardson, Texas. It swept the top awards at the 2007 Duncanville Marching Invitational in Duncanville, Texas. In Fall 2008, 2010 and 2012, the Westlake High School Marching Band finished in the Top Ten in Texas State UIL Finals competition, placing it in the top 1% of all Texas high school bands. Most recently, the Chap Band made its second appearance at the Rose Parade on January 2, 2017.

 

Each fall, the Chaparral Band and Westlake Band Parents Association host the Westlake Marching Festival on the second Saturday in October. This full day of marching activities features back-to-back marching presentations by 20 of the top high school bands in Texas. The Westlake Marching Festival has become recognized as one of the major marching competitions held in the state with awards presented for excellence in Musicianship and Program Performance along with trophies for Best Color Guard and Drum Line Performances.