This year’s LTHS band is the largest in school history with 239 members; the last time they were this large was in 2019. This group is on the younger side as underclassmen make up 60% of the organization.
One of the biggest sections in the band is the flute section with 28 members. Of those students, there are 16 freshmen that make up more than half of the group.
“It’s been worrisome for me [that we have so many underclassmen] as I’ve wondered if we’ll ever reach the same quality flute sections have been in the past,” flute section leader Nicole Balang, a junior, said. “However, the overall lack of experience just means our marchers are more inclined to do their best.
Despite the band being such a young group of musicians, the band has had relatively strong growth and progress according to the head band director Kelly Wykoff.
“There is a great feeling of momentum and understanding of what it takes to have a quality band program,” Wykoff said. “The students want to be great and understand the types of rehearsals and buy-in that it takes to get there. That’s up from the past few years in a big way.”
People may look at a young organization as a disadvantage as there’s more to teach. For the band, they see this case as quite the opposite.
“Having mostly freshmen can be seen as a disadvantage, and while that’s true in some cases it only makes us work harder,” Balang said. “ As most of them don’t have memories of state and the experienced joy of being called to finals, they only define the band through grueling afternoon practices.”
Whether it’s the upperclassmen or underclassmen, the directors are excited for their students. The season might just be getting started but they have high hopes for this year’s musicians.
I am excited to see the growth of the students from a musicianship standpoint, but also to see how they grow as leaders within their band program, their school, and their community. We have some incredibly driven individuals who have the work ethic to make a lot of great things happen for themselves and the people around them.
Overall, both the students and directors are looking forward to what’s to come this season. The band has recently started performing their competition show at football games, and their first competition is at the Wylie Marching Invitational on September 30.
