En español >>
By Michael Dobson
Unicoi County High School’s band director, Brad Williams, agrees that the saying, “small in size, but big in heart” would apply to his marching band. A good number of the 62 students are small because they are underclassmen.
In comparison to other bands, such as the Elizabethton High School band, they are outnumbered almost three to one.
“I have a lot of young people in this band,” said Williams. “I have six eighth-graders and only eight seniors. Although they are young, they are a great group of musicians.”
Unicoi’s band is up to the challenge of playing whenever needed.
“We play for all the community parades, as well as our regular school concerts,” said Williams. “We have pre-game parades before every home game. Some students are really liking how much we perform, because they feel it keeps them sharp.”
“I like the challenge of it — trying to figure out the music,” said senior Stacie Porter, the band’s drum major.
Last spring, she and other band members prepared six or seven pieces they would perform at a competition in Atlanta, Ga. Stacie was looking forward to some sightseeing afterward.
Cameron Edwards, a French horn player, recalled the excitement of last year’s band trip to New York City, when some students were locked out of their hotel room and had to find a way back in.
During band season, if it rains while the band is playing on the practice field, students must run, with their instruments, to the school.
“Mr. Williams can be tough, especially during marching season,” Cameron said.
Band members have camp in July and then start practice two weeks before school starts in August, Cameron said. They also practice from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday during marching season.
Cameron appreciates the whole band environment, and says it is a great place to play.
“I love it,” he said. “I like marching season better than concert season because of away games and participating in all of that.”
Williams expects positive comments because of the hard work put into the band. From band camp, to everyday practices during school, Williams expects perfection.
“Every year I have a goal of being perfect by ctober,” said Williams. “If you don’t seek perfection, then you leave room for error. We can’t have that for as many events we participate in.”
Band camp inspires many members of the Unicoi band, including field conductor Guillermo Mendoza.
“Band camp is amazing to me,” said Guillermo. “It’s all day, and it’s rough, but it’s all worth it. From 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. for five days straight, we are working on music.”
Williams is proud of his band’s progress, and excited about their experiences in competitions.
“This group of young people has really jelled musically,” said Williams. “With only eight seniors, this group will be with me for a good amount of time. They remind me of the group I had in 2002. They were as near to perfect as anybody could ask for.”
This became evident to Williams after the trip that group took to Wilmington, N.C., in 2002.
“I try to take the band somewhere out of town to compete,” said Williams. “I have taken some groups to New York, Orlando, and Atlanta. But that year I took the band to Wilmington to the Swansboro Band Festival.
“We did great. We ended up winning it, because as I said earlier, we were that close to perfection. I think this group of kids has the potential to win a couple of contests if we practice like I know we can.”
Guillermo has heard the expectations of the band, as well as the comparisons to the 2002 group.
“Yea, I’ve heard about the Wilmington perfection,” he said. “I think we could do it, but better practices are definitely a necessity. I also need to do more myself to get this band ready for whatever is ahead of us.”
“My purpose in taking these trips is to get evaluated,” said Williams. “We don’t go anywhere with a focus on winning, but to get evaluations from someone other than myself and others in the school. Plus, it’s always a great experience for myself and the kids.”
Emily Elliot contributed to this report.
