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The Morristown-Hamblen High School East Band will perform with UT’s Pride of the Southland Band on Sept 23.

The East High Band had to go through a rigorous application process to be chosen for the honor to play alongside the UT Band.

At the game against The University of Texas San Antonio, the East High band and the UT band will be joined with other high school bands in the region also chosen to participate.

“We were invited to participate and it’s the first we have ever done this which is very exciting,” said Brandon Tilley, East High Band director. “This will be a great experience for the students to play at Neyland Stadium and also see what it’s like to be in a college band.”

“We are learning some college level musical pieces which are exciting and difficult but my students are up for the challenge and are learning well.”

While the East High Band learns the new music, it is also working to prefect its own halftime show.

“This year’s theme is new for us,” Tilley said. “We are working with the theme Umbrella and it will feature the songs ‘Umbrella’ by Rhianna, ‘Gravity’ by John Mayer and a few selections from the musical ‘Mary Poppins.’”

“We wanted this show to be a generational one. Which means that no matter your age you can enjoy the songs.”

Not only is this type of show new for the band but it also includes a new instrument section.

“We will not have the traditional drumline that we used to, we will now have a front ensemble,” Tilley said. “This year’s show will have our percussion concert ensemble placed at the front of the field which is new for us and myself. I have never used this in my 18 year career.”

“With this new style students get to play more instruments and get the opportunity to do more diverse things.”

The new front ensemble is only possible because of the new marimba the band was able to purchase in the spring. This is the first time the East High Band has ever owned one of these drums.

“The main reason we are able to have the front ensemble is because we were able to purchase a new marimba thank to some wonderful sponsors,” Tilley explained. “With having a front ensemble the key instrument is the marimba which we didn’t have before but thanks to Thomas and Melinda Frazer of TF Building Solutions, Chad Huntsman and Tonya Hall of Howard’s-College Park Pharmacies and Brack Terry of The Terry Law Firm we were able to purchase the marimba.”

As the band faces a lot of new changes, Tilley’s students continue to overcome each obstacle.

“I have some of the most talented students in this school,” Tilley said. “They are dedicated and hard workers and easily adapt to every new change that is thrown at them.”

“This year we have around 15 new students in the marching band and just like last year it is a very diverse group. Each elementary school in the district has representation in this band and they should be proud of the type of students they have produced.”

This year for student leadership the band has two drum majors, Hailey Goodfriend and Michael Galvin. There are also two band captains who are Sydney Courtney and Maribell Ortiz. The percussion captains are Aiden Holt and Lane Dalton and the Color Guard captains are Josalyn Harris and Madison Johnson.

Although the band can be seen performing on most Friday nights at Burke-Toney Stadium, there are few other opportunities for the community to see them perform.

The marching band will participate in the November 11 Veterans Day Parade, the December 7 Christmas Day Parade and will perform alongside Elementary school band students at its Christmas program.

“With football games usually only those interested in watching the game get to see us perform and at our concerts only those wanting to see the band perform come. However, the parade gives us a chance to perform for everyone in the community regardless of their interests.” Tilley said.

“I hope that this year more people come out to see the band at the Veteran’s Day and Christmas Parades. I encourage everyone in the community to come out to support not only the band but also those participating in the parade.”

The band is constantly seeking support from the community so it can continue educating students and nurture their love of music.

An ongoing online campaign the band participates in is a Vertical Raise where the community can give to students or in an anonymous format. Information for the Vertical Raise can be found on the band’s Facebook.

The band also accepts physical donations such as instruments or snacks and water to keep students hydrated as they march outside. “We thank the community for its continuous support of the band,” Tilley said. “With us taking the students to march with Pride of the Southland Band, competition in competitions and the need for new instruments we need their support more than ever.”