Culver Selects Christian to Direct the Wildcat Marching Band

The sound of music will be coming from the “Harvard on the Hill” next year and it will be directed by Ryan Christian.  Christian has been involved in music for most of his life, but he never had the chance to be part of a marching band during his time as a student at Culver-Stockton College.

He’s about to change that. Christian recently was hired as the director of the marching/pep band that will debut in the fall of 2020. C-SC has not had a marching band in what is believed to be at least 50 years.

Christian, who lives in Quincy, says his goal is to have 40 students recruited for the first year, then admits much more work must be done.

Christian, who earned a degree in music education from C-SC in 2003, has been the director of music for the Lewis County C-1 School District in Ewing since 2004. He conducted the concert, marching, jazz and pep bands at Highland High School, as well as the bands in grades 6-8. He also conducted the concert choirs at the high school and junior high school.

Under Christian’s direction, the Highland High School Marching Band has performed at halftime of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, the Holiday Bowl in San Diego and the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

He says building the program at Culver-Stockton will be similar to the task he faced when he was first hired at Highland.

Christian graduated from Clark County High School in Kahoka, Mo., in 1999. When he was a student at C-SC, he directed the pep band.