Hard Work Prepares Band of Braves for Marching Season

This weekend, the UCHS Band of Braves will officially kick off the marching band season with their first competition of the school year.  To prepare, band members have been hard at work for over two months, perfecting the musical and marching elements for their 2023 show.  

Students not only learn the new music and marching drill, but they also have to commit it all to memory, which takes lots of practice.  Rehearsals started in July with several weeks of full-day Band Camp sessions.  Practices continue during the school year with after-school and weekend rehearsals.

Head band director Hunter Sanders reflected on the dedication of his students.  “All the members of the Band of Braves are arguably the hardest working students in the county. They put in long days throughout the season from rehearsing and performing to any other type of gig that pops up every week. I believe that the students’ dedication and effort that is put into the program will reflect in their overall performance throughout the season.” 

This year’s Band of Braves marching show is entitled “Beetlejuice” and features familiar music from the 1988 movie while also introducing elements from the 2018 “Beetlejuice” musical.  

Band members will compete this Saturday at 5:00 pm in Class A at the Madisonville North Hopkins High School Marching Invitational. For 11 band members, the event will mark the beginning of their last season as a member of the Band of Braves. “One of the reasons we decided on this show was to give our seniors the opportunity to showcase their abilities by performing solos and features that could demonstrate their talents on their respective instruments,” Mr. Sanders reported.

Led by a large class of experienced seniors, band members believe they will have a successful season and look forward to their start on Saturday evening.  “At this point, I am very excited to see how the Band of Braves performs against Ballard, our class competitor,” Mr. Sanders commented.  “Seeing how all the pieces have been coming together since July has made me extremely eager to showcase the Band of Braves to our marching arts community!”

You can see a full roster of this year’s Band of Braves below.  We thank our band members and directors for their tremendous dedication, and we wish them the best in their marching season!  Go Band of Braves!