By Bonny Flesher
There’s a song called “The Boys of Fall.” It’s played a lot at football games, but I want to put a little twist on it. Today, I’m writing about the music of fall: the band.
I can’t imagine a football game without the band.
I like to get up early and get out in my yard before the heat of the day sets in. Truthfully, I don’t really work in my yard. I piddle! As the summer days pass by, we start to see the seasons change, and so do the sounds I hear.
Long before we attend that first football game, there’s practice. Not only for the football team, but also for the band. Soon, we’ll enjoy the playing of the National Anthem, and fight songs will fill the air in celebration and set the rhythm for Friday nights.
As I water my flowers, I begin to hear the sounds of band practice across my neighborhood. I don’t have to see them to know what they’re up to. I get to enjoy the music floating through the air, and it brings back memories from my own school days.
Now, I wasn’t a band kid, but I can still see my classmates flooding into the girls’ restroom just before the first bell. They were pulling off bread bags they had tied up with rubber bands to protect their shoes from the heavy dew. Shower caps came off, with rollers falling out to reveal curls underneath. I’m pretty sure they rolled out of bed, checked the weather, and then added whatever gear they needed to protect themselves from Mother Nature’s morning wrath.
But here’s the deal. No matter what, they came together for a cause. They showed up prepared to blow their horns in unison. They not only knew their own parts, they learned how their parts worked with everyone else’s so the notes came together in harmony.
There were commands to learn from their fearless leader. They marched in step together, and they enjoyed it! They worked until they were all able to move and play in unison.
It takes all of them.
We could probably all use a little band camp and take something from their playbook!
Then the games start, and all that hard work suddenly looks effortless.
The Kingfisher band starts its morning practice at 7:45 each day. They have already started putting together their halftime show, which will feature hits by Michael Jackson. Beginning August 11, they will also practice from 6 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday evening.
There will be several band competitions this fall, and the students have been busy fundraising, something they’ll continue throughout the year. They also have an amazing opportunity ahead of them: marching in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade during spring break.
The Kingfisher band has about 40 students and is led by band director Mandy Owens.
If you live close to the school and you’re out working in your yard, or maybe just sitting on the porch with the day’s first cup of coffee, listen closely. You’ll hear the sound of hard work and determination coming from a group of young people preparing for another season.
And if you ask me, it’s one of the best sounds of fall.
Go Band!
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