As we grieve the passing of our Drum Major Rayana Brown, we pay homage to her for her great performance, dedication, and service.
May her legacy live on through the lives that she touched...
Email pictures of Rayana to [email protected] for our slideshow
The Northwestern Wildcat Band travels to Howard University
Washington, D.C.
Announcements
PLEASE CHECK THE EVENTS PAGE FOR THE UPCOMING PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCES. PLEASE STAY TUNED, CHECK YOUR EMAIL, AND TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE BAND HOT LINE, AS WE WILL CONTINUE WITH SECTIONALS AND BAND PRACTICE
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We will resume practice soon. Stay posted and continue to Check
www.flintallcitymarchingband.weebly.com
Email: [email protected]
Hotline: (810) 412-8362
.....In the News
FLINT, Michigan — Organizers of a new area marching band are trying to do something the city hasn’t seen before: bring together students from multiple schools to play, compete and represent the entire Flint area, not just one school.“We got together and we said, ‘You know, we’re going to cut all district lines, all school lines, and we’re going to start an extracurricular band program,’ ” said Blake Odum, co-founder of the new Flint All City Marching Band.
The band is free to students and open to any middle school or high school student in the area, said Odum.
“If they want to come from Saginaw and travel to be a part of it, they can do that,” he said.
Odum is launching the new band alongside Jacqueline Witherspoon, who teaches music at Beecher High School, and Eric Majied, who taught for 25 years in the Flint and Hamady school districts.
Odum, 21, said his experiences in marching bands — in the Flint and Hamady districts — showed him the potential and the limits of Flint’s bands.
“Some of these band programs out there, they could have 200 people. ... They (Flint bands) don’t have the membership to compete,” said Odum, who works as a behavior coordinator at McMonagle Elementary in the Westwood School District.
Organizers hope to get about 200 students in the new band to travel to competitions against larger schools.
The first official gathering of the band was scheduled for April 26. About 50 students showed up, Witherspoon said. And at another second practice, about 75 came out.
But there’s still room, Witherspoon added.
Joining the Flint All City Marching Band doesn’t mean students must quit their school bands. The new band will practice twice a week, after traditional band practices get out.
Odum said he’s still working to find a permanent home base for the band.
For the first practices, the band will use Witherspoon’s music classroom.
Organizers also hope to mentor students with school work and lead them on the track to college.
Majied said music can help keep teens on the right path.
“My vision for this new project is to, in a large sense, wake up the community to the expressive qualities of music and the self-discipline it can bring to a large amount of the youth,” Majied said.
How to apply
The new Flint All City Marching Band is looking for middle school and high school students from across the area. To apply, email [email protected] or call 810-412-8362.
The band is free to students and open to any middle school or high school student in the area, said Odum.
“If they want to come from Saginaw and travel to be a part of it, they can do that,” he said.
Odum is launching the new band alongside Jacqueline Witherspoon, who teaches music at Beecher High School, and Eric Majied, who taught for 25 years in the Flint and Hamady school districts.
Odum, 21, said his experiences in marching bands — in the Flint and Hamady districts — showed him the potential and the limits of Flint’s bands.
“Some of these band programs out there, they could have 200 people. ... They (Flint bands) don’t have the membership to compete,” said Odum, who works as a behavior coordinator at McMonagle Elementary in the Westwood School District.
Organizers hope to get about 200 students in the new band to travel to competitions against larger schools.
The first official gathering of the band was scheduled for April 26. About 50 students showed up, Witherspoon said. And at another second practice, about 75 came out.
But there’s still room, Witherspoon added.
Joining the Flint All City Marching Band doesn’t mean students must quit their school bands. The new band will practice twice a week, after traditional band practices get out.
Odum said he’s still working to find a permanent home base for the band.
For the first practices, the band will use Witherspoon’s music classroom.
Organizers also hope to mentor students with school work and lead them on the track to college.
Majied said music can help keep teens on the right path.
“My vision for this new project is to, in a large sense, wake up the community to the expressive qualities of music and the self-discipline it can bring to a large amount of the youth,” Majied said.
How to apply
The new Flint All City Marching Band is looking for middle school and high school students from across the area. To apply, email [email protected] or call 810-412-8362.