By Mikaela STONE       

The Crescenta Valley High School Instrumental Music Program unveiled a new logo designed by band parent Tina Kugler. Previously, the many denominations of music students were represented by the CV Marching Falcons logo, designed by the now-graduated student Chase Black. Now, each division is depicted in writing around the new logo’s edge: jazz band, marching band, color guard, wind ensemble, string orchestra, concert band and symphony orchestra.

The goal of band teacher Mathew Schick is to eventually have a logo for each of these factions, with this new collaborative design representing Crescenta Valley High School Instrumental Music as a whole. The CVHS marching falcons logo will continue to represent the marching band.

As an animator and children’s book writer and illustrator, “The Simpsons” character layout artist Kugler knows how to tell a story and design eye-catching graphics. Local community members involved in the Scouts may recognize her designs on the Troop 319 court of honor program.

Kugler’s Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award winning series “Snail and Worm” introduces early readers to two best friends through three comedic mini stories each. The logo offered Kugler a chance to tell a story and honor the past CVHS musicians.

Years before Schick entered the music scene at CVHS in 2001, the school’s official song changed from the melody of “Wild Blue Yonder,” the U.S. Air Force song, to the current and less creatively named “CV Fight Song,” a variation on UC Berkeley’s theme “Sons of California” and UCLA’s “Sons of Westwood.” The first mutation of the rivals’ song occurred when UCLA marching band members played a prank on Berkeley’s band during a football game in which they played Berkeley’s fight song before the Berkeley band could. The pair played back and forth, eventually resulting in the Westwood fight song heard today.

Kugler created the logo’s falcon wings out of twin music staffs with the left wing showing a sample of the sheet music for “Wild Blue Yonder” and the right wing displaying the “CV Fight Song.” To have the falcon mascot drawn in flight is part of the logo’s story.

Kugler said her reasoning is “corny.”

“For children … bogged down with so much work … music is a way to let your mind take off,” she said.

The falcon’s wing clipping through the circle of names represents music students breaking out of their shells, she said.

Kugler saw the benefits of music in her three sons, all of whom took Schick’s classes. Her youngest child, Jasper, currently attends CVHS. He progressed from the sousaphone to playing the tuba in symphony, bass trombone in jazz band and acting as the brass captain in marching band. He intends to pursue music in college. He took the time to ensure that Kugler’s musical notes were accurately drawn. 

“It honors people who were in the first band class while honoring the current members,” he said.

When he first started at CVHS, the music department comprised only jazz band, one orchestra class with nearly 50 students and a 40-person marching band that consisted mainly of flutes and percussion. Recognizing the difficulty of teaching an orchestra with such diverse needs, Schick called each family in his class to ask what instrument the students played. From there he divided the class into wind ensemble and string orchestra, then created a more advanced orchestra class students could audition for to bring both instruments together.

 The Crescenta Valley Marching Falcons have also come a long way. This year, students tackle the field show “Oasis,” inspired by music from “Arabian Nights,” “Sheherezade” (a symphony suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), “The Prince of Egypt” and the soundscape of the movie “Dune.”

Generous donations from parents brought with it new options for Front Ensemble, the percussion at the front of the band such as marimbas, xylophones, and electric keyboards. Other upgrades include wireless microphones for soloists and the sound of the oasis water as it comes and goes in the band’s search to find water in the desert. Schick recognizes that “water is life” and uses the show to uplift the precious resource.

However, Schick does not tackle providing the many opportunities within the Crescenta Valley Instrumental Music Department alone.

“This is not all me,” he said. “I am very fortunate to be here, I am very fortunate to have the support that I have, and that they trust me to work with their kids to put something together that will bring the community together and bring a worthwhile and meaningful experience to their kids.”

Crescenta Valley Instrumental Music’s new logo will be featured on yard signs, stickers and car magnets, with the hope to soon expand onto apparel. Anyone interested may email 1stvp@falconmusic.org to represent local youth in music.