Band features newspaper theme for halftime show

From the DeSoto Times Today (Southaven, Miss.):

"An original musical composition based on the elements of a community newspaper has Hernando High School band Director Mike Langley excited about his award-winning band's participation in district-wide competition next month."

http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2007/09/08/news/news02.txt

High school marching bands have come a long way from playing the standards like Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" and Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4."

The school is about a hundred miles from me. I might ride over there one Friday night to review the band's performance, followed by a postgame visit to certain 'gentlemen's' venues in Memphis. Or, I might save myself a few $$$ if the band comes to my city for the big regional marching band festival next month.

Speaking of the festival, my newspaper publishes a huge special spection tab promoting this event. Each band (roughly 35 to 40) gets a page with its group photo and show setlist. One band's show last year - a tribute to Southern rock - featured Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," the Charlie Daniels Band's, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," and the smash hit by those good ole boys Deep Purple, "Smoke on the Water."

 

By the fourth week of the season, the drum corps will be realigned into the woodwinds as part of a financial restructuring.

Notices will be sent in the first quarter of the game that week that 18 band members will be marched off the field at halftime, also part of the restructuring. They won't be invited back and will have five minutes of the third quarter to gather their belongings and leave, under the watchful eye of security guards.

At season's end, the band director will announce his retirement. A month later the band will learn all its proceeds from sales of candy, wrapping paper and cookie dough have been pilfered.



(Good for the band. I think what they're doing is cool.)

 

I also heard space is shrinking and they'll have to make do using a smaller section of the field.

 

That may be the case, but I heard morale is high at the ol' Information Center.

 

As an old band member and a proud drummer, I know they work hard.

 

Well, dawg gawnit, if they work hard, they should get just as much coverage as everyone else.

 

The Hernando band director figured out how to do just that.

 

When is Singleton coming in to buy the band and commence with the cutting?

Tuba? gone.
Drummers? We can get rid of a few of them and have one drummer for the whole band.

 

And none of the band guys will get any action with the flag girls.

 

You seen the flag girls lately? One step above dudes.

 

Very nice post, six.

 

I was a band guy who married a flag girl.