Golden Triangle Marching Festival held at New Hope High
Marching band is huge for those who grow through, and find community in the sport. Making the inaugural GTR Marching Festival a hit.
NEW HOPE, Miss. (WCBI) – New Hope High School assistant band director, Ryan Jobe, coordinated the first Golden Triangle Marching Festival at New Hope High.
The event is an opportunity for 15 high school bands to come together to compete, as well as celebrate their sport.
Figuring out where they belong is one of the biggest struggles for high schoolers.
So when they find their home, they hold onto it.
Jobe said this is exactly what the marching band is for.
“They get to not just be together and hang out, but also work together,” Jobe said. “It’s a lot of teamwork.”
One New Hope band member said he kept to himself before the band.
“This group has definitely helped me with my social environment,” he said. “I used to be very introverted. But when I got here, it’s like we’re a family. We are all together as one.”
Another said it makes her feel like she’s on top of the world.
“It definitely makes me feel powerful to know that we’re creating the sound, and everybody’s eyes are on us,” she said.
Though some bands may feel overshadowed at their schools, Jobe said that here at New Hope, they’re all a part of the Trojan family.
“It’s just a collective effort,” Jobe said. “We don’t try to isolate groups by teams or sport or whatever. It’s like, we’re all Trojans and we all want to support each other. And that’s that is really felt here. And that’s that’s why I love it.”
The East Mississippi Community College Mighty Lion Band was hosted as a special guest at the festival.
The first school-affiliated marching band was established in 1857 at the Boston Farm School.
