Andrea Hammack
With only a few weeks left until the first football game, Troy’s Sound of the South (SOTS) prepares to unveil its new band show.
For some members of the band, this is their first year marching for SOTS. Kaitlyn Munger, a freshman English language arts education major from Vestavia, said she still isn’t sure what to think about her experience in the band so far, considering how much it differs from high school marching band.
“I hope that the people that are not on the field realize how much work we put into the show this year,” Munger said. “It’s a lot harder than anything I’ve ever done, as we do a lot more movement while playing some pretty difficult pieces.”
Several months in advance, the band staff comes up with ideas for the new halftime show. They then get to work designing and scheduling rehearsals.
The percussion and auxiliary members start working five days earlier than the rest of the band. Once everyone arrives for band camp, students spend approximately 10 hours a day, for nine plus days, working on perfecting the music and drill.
As in recent years, Mark Walker, the director of bands, has chosen to create a program without distinct themes or titles for this year’s halftime show.
“We decided to use the arrangement of ‘Birdland’ that we cut from the show last year,” Walker said. “We chose the other three charts to match that intensity.”
The show opens with an energetic “Can You Dig It” by Brian Taylor. This is then followed by a jazz-fueled “Birdland” by Josef Zawinul and TV theme favorite “The Flintstones.”
The show ends with a dark and brassy “Feeling Good” by Leslie Bricusse. All the pieces in the show are arranged by Ralph Ford.
Walker calls the show “stellar” and is confident it will blow people away. He said he is most excited for the closer, saying it is “fast, loud and exciting, and will catch the audience by surprise!”
Along with the music, the band’s drill — the movements on the field — is set to be just as active and lively, allowing the audience to walk away having experienced the best halftime possible.
Abigale Irwin, a sophomore graphic design major from Millbrook, said the show is “very fast-paced and entertaining.”
“The show is really different from the last two years I’ve marched,” Irwin said. “‘Flintstones’ is the biggest challenge for me, but I am excited to see the crowd go crazy for it.”
Walker hopes the audience is excited and entertained by what they see and hear. He said the band has put a lot of work into the show already, and he expects it will be an impressive halftime.
“Our show is designed to feature soloists, large groups and our auxiliaries so that each group gets a chance to show their hard work and talents,” Walker said. “This year’s show will be exciting and will keep the audience on the edge of their seat!”
The band encourages students to come out during the season and support not only the football team but the Sound of The South as it premieres and performs its 2018 halftime show. It will premiere on Sept. 1.
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