Bashful Banter Between Bands!

This year’s season is ssssizzling, with heat! The time for practicing and warmups is now over. No more games, no more fooling around. At this time, discipline should be set in stone. Now is the time for bands to come together and face off. It’s time to bring what you got, bring your sound, your numbers, your skill, and put it all on the line. A battle to crown the best band in the land.

For many years, marching band has been a thing worldwide. From college bands, to highschool bands, to middle school, to even independent bands. For decades, battle of the bands have also existed, and have been taken very seriously. Especially in the college industry. Band heads (band nerds/geeks who taken band VERY seriously), from all across, are always watching, and taking every detail into consideration. In a battle of the bands, everything must be precise. Everyone has to look the same, and be properly disciplined, in order to get the best score possible.

I interviewed a current member of the warrior marching band, Steven Bailiff, trumpet player, here were his thoughts on battle of the bands; Bailiff said that the battle of the bands is, “ When a whole lot of bands come together in the community, and they just showcase their talent”. Bailiff mentioned that Southfield’s season started about two weeks ago, at Euclid highschool, for Shaw’s annual battle of the band. It should be Southfield’s 3rd year, attending Shaw’s yearly competition. Bailiff says that battle of the bands did indeed, start with colleges. ‘Everybody in the band dedicating themselves 1,000 percent to the music, everybody just grinding, and wanting to walk out a winner”. Is Bailiff’s, idea of the key to winning the battle of the bands. Bailiff says that he prepares for the battle of the bands by “Practicing a lot, and sitting there trying to memorize the music, and getting his tone right”. He also believes that his marching did their best at the competition, and that others should’ve tried a little harder than they did. He says that to be the best, you have to act like you already are the best.

Here at Southfield A&T, many students from the band, have walked away with good scholarships for great universities. Dr.Charles (band director here at A&T) trains all his students properly, and with enough discipline, to have them ready for the next level. We have: Wisdom Hill – who now goes to Jackson State University and plays tuba, Austin Hayes – who now goes to Southern university and plays piccolo, Dwayne Gray – who now goes to Southern university and plays tenor drum, Darryl Clarke – who now goes to lane college and is a drum major, Asia Monette – who now goes north carolina A&T university and plays baritone, Thomas Calhoun – who now goes to howard university and plays trumpet, and so many more Alumni who have been in the warrior marching band and are now in the next chapter of their band life.

In conclusion, battle of the bands is a well respected event throughout all of history, and even in today’s society. Bands are improving more and more everyday, and slowing encouraging more people to not only look into it, but also invest their time into a passion, that they will surely love.