If it goes on any longer, it may just become routine. Once again, the George Walton Academy marching band returned home with plaques and trophies in hand after the school ensemble won first place at the United States Scholastic Band Association Southern States Championship.
“We never expect to win, but it’s always a nice surprise,” said Christian Smith, director of the GWA band. “We feel like the kids definitely worked hard enough to be successful.”
The 79-member band traveled Nov. 5 to Chattanooga, Tenn., where they competed with 30 other bands from across the South, including groups from Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. “It was a true Southeastern championship this year,” said Jason Sneath, assistant band director “There were bands from all over the region.”
With a number of other bands competing, the small GWA band faced long odds.
“Some of the scores we saw, we were going there’s no way,” Sneath said. “By size, we’re really smaller, but we want to compete at the highest level under the lights.”
One of the last bands to perform, the GWA band put on their show, “The Carmen Project,” based on the famous Bizet opera and adding a jazz flair to the show.
While they didn’t necessarily expect to win, Smith said they were all quite happy with how the show went.
“We felt great about the show,” Smith said. “You could tell from the kids’ faces and the energy. They knew they’d left their best performance on the field.” And when the scores were announced, GWA not only won in its class, but also garnered the top score in the entire competition — not to mention earning the U.S. Marine Corps’ Esprit de Corps award. “We’re extremely proud of them,” Smith said. “The kids worked hard and put forth their best show. “They peaked at the right time and gave an unforgettable performance. That’s what you get to keep with you forever, is that memory.”
With marching season over — the marching band’s last performance of the year will be in the Dec. 1 Monroe Christmas parade — and concert band season ready to start, Smith and Sneath are focusing on the more formal side of things now. But they’re already thinking of what will come next in the back of their minds.
“We change it up every year,” Smith said. “It’s a completely different show.” And the challenge remains to keep the band’s success streak — measured by the large stack of trophies, plaques and other hardware in the corner of the band room, much of it earned in the past few years — going even as the band personnel changes every year. “Maintaining the progress where it’s at is more difficult than getting to this point,” Sneath said. “It’s a challenge, but that’s what makes it exciting.”
Smith agreed. “We have to start fresh every year,” Smith said. “The kids who stick with it come back a year better and the new kids have to be shown the ropes. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
Yet, judging from the past success, the two should probably go ahead and dust off a spot for the next round of trophies.
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