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SMHS marching band pays tribute to ‘Fabulous ’50s’
By Stephanie Salmons
The Smoky Mountain High School marching band is bigger. It’s better. And band members plan to take audiences back to the “Fabulous ’50s” with this year’s routine.
This year’s band has 44 members, band director Drew Umphlett said. Adjusting for the loss of 10 seniors, that’s an increase of 16 students.
“That is a very, very large number,” he said. “Actually, we’ve never grown before. This is the first year of growth since I’ve been here.”
Umphlett is in his fourth year of teaching at SMHS.
Smoky Mountain High School’s marching band takes the field during halftime of the SMHS home football opener against Swain County High School. The band, which has seen an increase in membership over last year, is performing this year’s show, the “Fabulous ’50s,” which includes tunes made popular by Elvis Presley and is a real crowd-pleaser, according to the student musicians.
The growth could be due to the fact that younger students are more familiar with the instructor, Umphlett said.
“I think because the middle school kids are more familiar with me, they know what to expect,” he said “We’ve also got a lot of siblings. I think there are six younger brothers and sisters of people who were already in marching band.”
This is also one of the youngest bands in recent years, Umphlett said, with eight seventh-graders, three eighth-graders and only two seniors.
As with anything, this has some pros as well as some drawbacks, he said.
“I think the skill level is better than it has been because they’ve all been taught on the same level, they’ve all been taught by me,” Umphlett said. “In the past, there have been people who have been taught by three or four and sometimes five other directors. It always starts you off at a deficit when you have to learn a new way to do things. Now everyone knows exactly what to expect, how I like to work and how I like to teach, so I think they’re coming along a lot better than they have in the past.”
Junior tuba player Zach Wright agreed.
“For the number of rookies, compared to how many there have been in the past, the band has really exceeded expectations of what I thought they were going to do,” he said.
Sophomore Ariel Malec, who does color guard, said that the new students have caught on easily.
The hardest part about having a younger band is getting the playing and marching in sync, Umphlett said.
“With so many new people, everyone is really going to have to start back to the beginning of marching,” he said. “We’re having a real hard time right now marching and playing together at the same time. Everyone can march really well. Everyone can play really well, but we’re having a hard time doing both together. Once you get that figured out, you’re OK, but with so many rookies, it’s tough to do that.”
However, marching band and color guard members are not deterred.
“It’s going to be a fun show and entertaining,” drum major Katie Stafford said.
With the theme of “Fabulous ’50s,” the color guard will be in costumes and the band will play a number of notable tunes including a medley of Elvis Presley songs, “Johnny Be Good,” “ Labamba,” “Rock around the Clock,” and “Mr. Sandman.”
“All of it’s really fun and upbeat,” Malec said. “It’s definitely going to be a crowd pleaser.”
In addition to playing home football games, the marching band also has three tournaments lined up.
The first, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 27, will be at Enka High School. On Saturday, Oct. 11, the band will compete at Western Carolina University’s “Tournament of Champions” and on Saturday, Oct. 25, the band will compete in Charlotte.
“We’ve gotten in the really good habit of not classifying how we do in relationship to how others do,” Umphlett said. “Our goal is to go out there and entertain a crowd and entertain some judges, and we’ll see how that works out score-wise and placement-wise.”
Color guard captain Paige Lindsay urged that community members to come and support the band at their home games and at competitions.
“I really want the community to come to all the football games and not get up and get a hot dog during the show,” she said, and Malec agreed.
“That’s really who we’re performing to. We want them to listen to us and pay attention and appreciate what hard work we’re doing for them because we’re playing for them at the football games,” she said. “Technically, we don’t have to be here, but we are.”
The band will operate a remodeled concession stand this year, the profits from which go directly to the general band fund, Umphlett said.
“We have a seven-minute show when we’re done with it – which we’re not,” Wright said. “It’s only half of your halftime. You can spend seven minutes sitting down watching something that has to do with your town and then you have the other half of halftime (to do other things.)”
Although the band would like to see more community support, the backing for the band has increased in the four years that Umphlett has been there he said.
“Four years ago, I don’t think anyone clapped or anyone listened when we played,” Umphlett said. “It’s been getting better, especially from the students. They have really started appreciating us a lot more as well. That’s been really nice.”
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