Time to strike up the Band

Over the next three months, the 250-member Hewitt-Trussville High School Marching Band will perform from sunrise to sunset each Friday. And they’ll do it in only 10 minutes. 

Hewitt’s 2017 halftime show will take its audience through the course of a sunny, bright day and into the night. The performance begins with the sounds of “Morning” by 19th century composer Edvard Greig, followed by Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies.” The show jazzes up as the day reaches evening with Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” before concluding with “Ain’t No Sunshine” by classic soul artist Bill Withers. 

“The show is peaceful … It’s a happy, chill, fun day,” said Stephanie Ezell, assistant band director. “We try super, super hard to not just please the musician within ourselves; we also try to choose shows that will reach our community.”

Spectators sitting high enough may be able to see the band’s thematic scenes beginning with a sunrise, and then stars and moonbeams by show’s end.

“Musically, I feel like it’s got something for everybody,” said Scott Waid, band director and a 1990 HTHS alum. “Visually, I feel like the color on the field and what our auxiliary units add makes the show. You’ll see a lot of integration of guard and band together, which a lot of bands won’t do. It makes it so stunning to look at … It’s going to be really entertaining for our audience. They’ll be able to spot something new every week.”

Four of the five songs in the show will have a soloist, beginning with Alanna Bradley (flute) in “Morning,” followed by Charlie Jones (trumpet) in “Orange Colored Sky,” Aaron Easdon (baritone sax) in “Moonlight Sonata” and Kourtney Clay (trombone) in “Ain’t No Sunshine.” 

The high stepper feature will be in the middle of the show during “Orange Colored Sky.” As the season progresses, so will the level of difficulty for the auxiliary units choreography.

“The show is going to be great. It’s everything you would expect from us as a group. The flags are going to show the beginning of the day until the end of the day, bright colors to dark colors,” said Jaelyn Reese, head high stepper. 

MAKING OF A SHOW

The band’s performance journey from morning to night has taken nearly a year to develop, like most HTHS halftime shows.  

“It’s always on the forefront of our mind. It never goes away, even though we start transitioning to other things,” Waid said.

The process begins with a series of notes and ideas Waid and Ezell jot down during the fall and through the winter. After football season comes to a close in November or December, the band directors regroup in January with a planning meeting. In February, Waid and Ezell begin to recruit from the middle school’s large band program, while also organizing auditions for auxiliaries. The show writing process begins in March. 

This year’s five-song show covers a 170-year span of compositions, all arranged by Justin Williams of Oxford, who customizes shows for high schools and colleges across the Southeast. The marching drills are designed by David Weinberg of California, who has designed HTHS shows for more than a decade, while the high stepper and color guard routines are choreographed by Devin Khoury Kilgore and Racheal Nichols, respectively. Even the silks and flags for the show — nearly 400 this year — are custom sewn by Terrie Entrup, not counting the HT silks used pre-game and in parades.

“It’s been really cool to see the staff work tirelessly and effortlessly to help us put our show on the field. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes,” said Charli Jones, head drum major.

By April, drum majors and auxiliaries are announced. Joining Jones this year are assistant drum majors Clare King, Emma Percy and Sydney Stoehr. Katelyn Martin is the color guard captain, while Reese leads the high steppers.

Each May, incoming freshmen join upperclassmen for a two- to three-day spring training to learn the music. Summer workouts begin in June to get in shape for marching season, which includes four days of practice and Friday night performances. HTHS band members are estimated to march a minimum of 30 miles this season, averaging more than 1,000 marching steps (nearly a half mile) for each show run through practice and performance.  

Show preparation hits full force in July, beginning early in the month with three nights of music practice before band camp begins mid-July. Additional instructors are brought in to help teach the music: Clara Roberts (flute), Ann Sargent (clarinets), Gary Finley (low brass and drum majors) and Double Stock Percussion, as well as various college students. Hewitt-Trussville Middle School band directors Brandon Peters and Corinth Lewis are also instrumental in the process, as well as auxiliary sponsor Chaney Bowers.

The first two weeks of camp are roughly nine hours each day, with eight of those outside, whether that be in the rain or a 100-degree heat index.

“It’s pretty tough. You’re outside in the heat all day marching and sweating a lot. Waking up early and being super tired,” said Brock Waggoner, a freshman trumpet player.

As the season nears, the rookies begin anticipating their new role in the show.

“I worked hard to get here. I took lessons for about two years on and off. Once you’re on, it’s like being part of a family,” said Tana Smith, a freshman in the color guard, who marched flute as an eighth grader. “It starts getting fun after you get past the stressful parts.”

GAME DAY

When game day arrives, Husky band members are going from the time they wake until midnight. 

“Things hit you at 90 miles per hour on Fridays,” Ezell said. “We’re the first to arrive, and the last to leave.”

Game days are a bit of a contrast from the relaxing day depicted in this year’s show. 

After going through the school day, the band may play at a pep rally, feeding off the energy of the student body, before their 5 p.m. run through at the stadium. There’s a break for dinner before taking the field for their pre-game show, which borrows ideas from college shows across the state. 

In the stands, the band does its part to support the Hewitt football team, which went 10-0 during the 2016 regular season, aiming to create as much noise as possible when the defense is on the field. 

After their halftime show, they grab some water and are back in the stands. The night at the stadium concludes — win or lose — the same way it has for more than 30 years, playing “Amazing Grace.” Then it’s time to load up the equipment truck and head back to the band room.

By year’s end, nearly half of the band’s self-funded $100,000 budget will have gone into making the show possible, from $10,000 in customization costs to $37,000 for charter buses to away games. All of the money comes from fundraisers, such as the annual Rock-A-Thon or the concessions at football games and track meets. 

In some cases, parents stick around long after their children have graduated the program, such as Donna Griffith, who coordinates the band uniforms, or James Roughten and Steve Lawrence, who drive the band equipment trucks each week. 

“It’s pretty amazing that these parents are willing to stick around in the program and volunteer their time,” Waid said. 

In October, Friday nights are followed by competitions on Saturday, beginning this year with the inaugural Trussville Marching Invitational on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m., and then away competitions the following two weeks. 

The band also performs in at least two parades each year (Homecoming and Trussville Christmas) and during an annual spring trip — last year it was Disney World, this year’s destination is pending approval.

“I have band director friends who ask, ‘How do you do it?” Ezell said. “It’s just Trussville. It’s what they expect, and with those expectations, they are always behind you helping you pull off those big things. It’s an unbelievable community to be in … The parents are unbelievable. They rally and they support their kids.”