Discover a vibrant, supportive community and elevate your college experience with the William Penn University Athletic Bands! Open to music majors and non-music majors alike, our program is designed to provide an enriching, hands-on learning environment with personalized guidance from dedicated faculty. Here, students find not only a place to express their musical talents but also a path to enhance their academic journey and build friendships that last.
The William Penn Athletic Bands offer a range of ensembles, including Marching Band, Pep Band, Winter Percussion Line, and Color Guard, allowing students to explore and grow in multiple musical settings. We understand the demands on students’ time, so our practice schedules are tailored to make participation manageable for those with jobs and other commitments.
During the Fall and Spring semesters the color guard performs half time exhibition performances and in community parades. There are participation scholarships available specifically for color guard “only” students who would like to join winter color guard and marching band
We give students the opportunity to participate in a program similar to their competitive high school programs, to perform at a higher level of proficiency, while keeping the overall focus on their higher educational studies.
The Pep Band performs at home athletic events and has attended national athletic tournaments if a WPU team is participating. The band also performs in some university and local events such as the Dean’s Convection.
The WPU Winter Percussion Line has been active for the past seven years. This is an opportunity for our percussion members to stay active and enjoy marching and concert style percussion performances during the Winter/Spring semester
Jim DePrizio is the Director of Athletic Bands at William Penn University. With BME and MME degrees from Vandercook College of Music, he brings years of experience teaching corps-style marching band across Illinois and Iowa.
His ensembles have earned top honors, including Division I ratings, IBA convention features, and All-State selections. Jim is also an active performer, drill writer, and mentor, committed to growing the marching band program through recruitment and outreach. He is passionate about fostering student growth through performance, discipline, and creativity.