The Booming Sounds Coming From High School Bands

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Kick off has arrived and the new high school football season is officially underway.

Many people typically have their eyes and glued to the football field, however, players aren’t the only ones playing during the game.

If you listen closely you’ll hear other students working inside the stadium as well.

“The band is in charge of hyping the football players, hyping the crowd, and just making it fun,” said Kayln Abrams, the head drum major at Columbus High School.

“We are in charge of entertainment basically,” said Lynnzy Higgins, Assistant Band Director at Columbus High School. “Playing new music, old-school music, a little bit of funk and just keeping the momentum going.”

From the precise dance moves to the crisp notes, during the game, the band gives the crowd two shows, a stand show and then there’s the big halftime show.

“We get on the field and we do our show, seven minutes, like that’s really important, that’s why we practice outside every day,” said Abrams.

To be apart of a band, Abrams said it takes discipline, dedication, and determination.

Just like the football team, band members also spend countless hours of sweat and training to prepare themselves for game day.

“We take two weeks during the summer, the last two weeks of July and we work from eight in the morning until three-ish in the afternoon just outside or inside practicing the music,” said Brandy Bell, a drum major at West Point High School.

“We run over scales, we have warm-up corals, warm-up pieces that we learn to play to help with tone, and breathing so we can have stamina on the field when we do the halftime show,” said Jessica Deanes, head drum major at West Point High School.

But unfortunately, sometimes their hard work gets overshadowed during the game.

“There was an article a couple years back about why the band is not important during the football games,” said Higgins. “You know, people who are only sports fanatics would think that because they are only there to see the game, but there are a lot of other people who come to the game but are not here to see the football team. They are not here to understand what’s going on in the field, they are here to hang out, it’s a Friday night, it’s something to do, and then we provide the entertainment.”

If you ask any of these band members they’ll tell you it’s not always an easy feeling getting overlooked.

Just like the players they’re cheering on, they too are playing for something bigger than themselves, using their instruments as a tool to help them to the next level and win their school a state title.

“Band can take you very far and it can help parents with money for school, so that’s the main thing I try to push, stay in band, graduate, there will be a college somewhere that’s recruiting giving you a big scholarship, so I push it,”

Along with playing during the football games, the band also competes in multiple statewide competitions throughout the school year.