With a new school year on the horizon comes another season of marching band, and T.W. Josey High Schoolers are thrilled to once again move their feet to the music in preparation for games and competitions.
Song choices
Band Director Keshia Simmons said her students were excited about getting their songs together, as she believes in letting performers have a say in what pieces are selected for the season.
“I feel like, if they play the songs they want to play, they’re going to put forth greater effort than if I had just given them songs to play,” she said.
Simmons said one of the choices currently in the running included “Million Dollar Baby” by Tommy Richman.
Focused on selecting songs and finishing other early season preparations, Simmons said her students start meeting at the end of June in order to be ready for the start of the season in August.
“I feel like marching band is important because it brings people together. It teaches discipline and creativity, and it just adds so much more to life,” said Nila Williams, a sophomore at Josey. “It teaches us to have a mindset of being ready to work.”
Favorite moments
Being involved with band for six years, Williams said one of her favorite memories had to be participating in 2019’s Battle of the Bands, because it was her first time competing in that particular event and it was the source of a lot of fun.
“We get to see so many other people doing the same thing, and it teaches us how to socialize more with different people that we haven’t seen before,” she said.
Mikael Parks, a Josey senior, said he has been a part of marching band since seventh grade after being introduced to it by a cousin, and continues to love it because he gets to spend time with peers who share similar musical interests.
Fellow senior band member David Bush said he wishes the marching band garnered more support and attention from other students at school, because he feels their long hours are not truly appreciated compared to other sports and skills.
“I feel like they see it as something easy that they can just pick up and do when it’s not,” he said. “You have to practice and you have to actually want to get better … and reading music is like reading a different language – it takes a lot of hard work.”
What band teaches students
From band, Bush also said he feels students learn over the years that hard work pays off and improving takes dedication – it does not happen overnight.
“It’s like when you fail a test and you learn how to study harder to do better,” he said.
Bush and Parks both said they plan to continue being involved in marching band in college with hopes of making more lasting memories.
“My favorite marching band memory is when we went to Tennessee in 2019 to be a part of an All-Star game that we were invited to,” he said. “It was really fun because it was my first time traveling really far with the band.”
Marching band junior dancer Ke’Aijajh Jones, who joined in 2022, said her favorite memory had to be her very first performance at Josey, because it allowed her to gain a new sense of confidence while wowing the crowd.
“Nobody really knew me like that and knew what I was capable of, but during that game I unlocked something – the real me,” she said. “I feel like I opened some ears and some eyes.”
New opportunities
Jones said she believes marching band gives students the opportunity to step out of their shell while performing, which gives each a chance to shine in a whole different light.
For Simmons, no matter if students just joined Josey High’s band or if they have been perfecting choreography for years, she was most excited to see each continually grow in their skills as musicians.
“Anything you want to be great at is going to take time and sacrifice,” she said. “Marching band requires a lot of time and effort, and if students learn to sacrifice that there’s nothing they can’t do in life.”
T.W. Josey High School’s marching band will perform for the first time this upcoming season on Aug. 16 during the 7:30 p.m. home game, which will take place at 1701 15th St.
“Josey has a lot of amazing talent at this school,” Simmons said. “… and teaching them is one of my greatest joys in life.”
