Walkup, The - Concert Band

"Since the students at Van Wert Middle School Bands are celebrating their 90th anniversary, I wanted to write them something that was not only celebratory but also motivating—my hope for these middle schoolers is for them to accomplish great things in high school and beyond.

Therefore, I wrote these kids a walkup song (a song that pumps up a baseball player and inspires them to get on base or drive their teammates home). One of my favorite walkup songs is from Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto. Every time he steps up to the plate, the Rolling Stones’s tune “Paint It Black” blasts from the speakers at Great American Ballpark. And so, I hope to channel the drive from Joey Votto and his walkup song and impart this onto the students at Van Wert Middle School." - Jennifer Jolley