Collierville marching band steps up
Channing Perrett twirled a blazing baton as dozens of young musicians formed the shape of a tunnel on the football field and a deep voice revved up the crowd.
"A dragon is fierce and unrelenting," announcer Charlie Keffeler told fans on a recent warm Friday night in Collierville. "A dragon is made of steel, claws and razor fangs. A dragon is made of a huge heart."
The Collierville Dragons varsity team charged onto the field to drumbeats and cheers, while the marching band launched into the school's fight song, the color guard's maroon flags waving under a sky of wispy white clouds.
The marching band and performers are known as the Pride of Collierville Dragon Band, and they aim to represent not only Collierville High School, but the whole town. The school has invested in new leadership for the band, hiring director James Barnes from South Carolina and several additional staff members. The band mostly competed in the local area in previous years, but Barnes and his team are now taking the students to compete against other marching bands from across the country.
"These kids work really hard," Barnes said. "There's no second string in marching band. Everybody's a quarterback. Everybody has to be out there."
Barnes was introduced to music by playing his grandmother's Yamaha baby grand piano at her house in Knoxville. His next instrument was the viola.
"Then I saw the light and converted to band," he said.
He learned the tuba and went on to study music education at the University of South Carolina. He became the tubist for the Carolina Brass quintet, a performance group that was invited to play in Italy for its brass week. He also served on the staff of Music City Drum and Bugle Corps in Nashville, helping the group reach the international semifinals for the first time.
Barnes recruited Thomas Richardson, another University of South Carolina graduate, to come to Collierville and become the band's associate director. Richardson previously directed Berkeley High School's band in South Carolina. Under his tenure, the program nearly tripled in size, offering groups such as jazz band, concert band, chamber ensembles and percussion ensemble in addition to marching band.
Sacred space
The Collierville band students take their work seriously.
They put in 40-hour weeks, knock out pushups over mistakes and they call any field they step on their sacred space. Talking on the field is permitted only if you raise your hand, and the person you need to talk to stands in front of you.
"It's kind of unexplainable," band president Tahira Baig said in an interview, describing one of her favorite band performances. "When you finish an eight- to nine-minute show and you land in that final spot with everything lined up somehow. I just remember the crowd was going crazy. I started tearing up."
Makenna Whitmer remembers playing in the Bandmasters Championship at the Liberty Bowl one fall and how one beautiful chord ended part of the show.
"To hear the note ring, with everybody standing up and clapping, and all the drum majors smiling and so happy, it was just a really special moment," she 11605 E. Shelby Drive, Collierville Awards 9:15 p.m. said.
She and three other seniors make up the band's drum majors this year, directing the band during competitions and games from a podium or in the stands. Each has a story about how they picked up their instrument.
Jacob London got into band following in the tradition of his dad. His dad held onto his trumpet from his own school days. Jacob had already been playing soccer and other sports, but he also loved music.
So his dad suggested Jacob try playing his trumpet, and it stuck.
Trumpet player Joshua Park was inspired
Sept. 29 Collierville High School football stadium Gates open at 5 p.m. Competition 6 p.m. http://www.colliervilleband.com/ tournament-of-champions.html