The band marches on

At the end of the 2022-23 school year, the Cedar Shoals marching band wished farewell to Dr. Zandra Bell-McRoy, the band director of eight years. As the assistant band director of four years, Devin Driskell was anticipated to take over, but on June 16, the marching band was shaken by the news that he was in a motorcycle accident.  

“I was really concerned if he was okay or not but they assured me that he was in the hospital and he was stable. Then I was sitting there thinking, ‘What are we going to do?’” senior drum major Mason Hardy said. 

Driskell was left unable to direct the marching band during their summer program and the first several weeks of school. Prior to his return on Sept. 11, Aaron Price, who teaches music  technology and piano, took on a larger role in the band’s leadership.  

“I’ve been working with the marching band since I got here so I just continued to do that. I have a music education degree, I was a band director and I’ve done the whole thing. I guess I was just the next person in line,” Price said. “Marching band is one of my favorite things so I was happy to do it.”

The band directors from Coile and Hilsman Middle School, Sarah Waller-Price and Grace Liebl respectively, have also helped out at band practices. 

“I’m a percussionist. I worked with the drumline, so I don’t know how to play the clarinet. But the band director at Coile is a brass player and the director at Hilsman is a woodwind player, so we have all our bases covered,” Price said. 

The band also has staff helping with color guard and choreography, including Randy Priest, a former Cedar physics teacher, and Riley Hefner, a former Cedar drum major and current Hilsman teacher. 

“Driskell wasn’t doing it all himself. He hired a bunch of people that knew what they were doing. Just because we lost one person doesn’t mean we’re crumbling,” Price said. 

But Price admits Driskell’s absence did cause some difficulties in terms of leadership and communication with students. 

“The kids just weren’t expecting it, and now it’s all of us staff figuring it out and trying to do what we think is best. It’s a little harder when there’s not really one person in charge: no one guy who’s making all the decisions. That’s probably the biggest struggle,” Price said.  

Sophomore Wendy Flores also noticed these challenges and feels Driskell’s return has improved organization. 

“I think it’s better and it has helped for sure because he’s there to see us and we are a marching band under his leadership. He has a vision for us and him being there helps us complete the vision,” Flores said. 

Though the band class was taught by an interim teacher during his leave, Driskell maintained his relationship with the marching band — visiting rehearsals and watching them perform at the football game against Clarke Central. 

“It’s been extremely difficult. I enjoy what I do. I enjoy getting to work with kids, making music and doing the marching band things,” Driskell said. “But the staff has been doing a really good job. We’re really lucky to have Mr. Price, Ms. Liebl, Mrs. Waller-Price and all the staff.” 

Now that he has returned, Driskell has noticed his students showing more personal responsibility and leadership. 

“I’ve seen them become more responsible for our space and realize that they don’t have to leave things for other people to do because other people might not do it. At this school in general, and I might be wrong in saying this, it feels like there are lots of people that don’t do things because it’s not their responsibility and someone else will do it. I think that I’ve got a lot of kids that have realized that if they don’t do it, it might not get done,” Driskell said. 

Despite challenges in Driskell’s absence, the band has grown significantly, counteracting the shrinking trend Hardy had observed. 

“Since 2018 we have been dwindling in size. My eighth grade year, which was our 2019 show, everybody was complaining about it and saying, ‘Oh the marching band is going downhill.’ Then the next year was the COVID year and that really hit us like a freight train. Next year we were small and then we were even smaller last year. But this year we actually have a pretty decent-sized band,” Hardy said. 

The majority of this growth was new ninth and eighth graders from Coile and Hilsman Middle School. Senior Kamiyah Jackson feels the amount of underclassmen and the disorganization caused by the lack of a band director has at points been chaotic. 

“It’s been hard with Driskell not here: the new people having to learn new things and the fact that it’s just chaotic. It’s very hard having to learn the new material ourselves and teach it to someone else at the same time,” Jackson said. 

Price thinks this struggle will ultimately strengthen the program and build the upperclassmen over time.

“The more people the better, especially young kids, because then you’ve got more people that you’re teaching the fundamentals to. Next year, you’ve got more people that can help the new eighth graders. Then we are able to stack on top of fundamentals one year after another. It’s better than having 20 kids and then half of them graduate and you have nobody next year. It’s been a positive change,” Price said.

To recruit new members, the marching band visited elementary and middle schools — playing at their pep rallies and advertising the program. They also invite eighth graders who haven’t joined to perform with them for a football game.

“That’s the main way we get kids interested in doing it,” Price said. “Just to try to show them what the marching band can be and that we have fun.” 

With Driskell’s return, the marching band prepared for their first and only competition of the season on Oct. 21. At the competition the band scored an “Excellent” in every category, except for the drum major category in which majors, Hardy and Chloe Smith, scored a “Superior”, placing second highest out of the six single A bands that attended. 

Wrapping up their season, Driskell hopes the marching band continues to grow and enjoy performing. 

“I hope we continue to have a great experience together making music and putting the show together and we go out and have a great time supporting the football team. At the end of the day, this is all about making these connections and enjoying ourselves and learning,” Driskell said.