Marching band season is a rigorous road that begins in July with band camp and ends in November, while in between demanding commitment from its members.
Perhaps in no other season has a Grayson County High School marching band risen to the challenge in its pursuit of excellence than this year. Working under the motto, “Better Than Yesterday,” the Marching Cougars, for the first time in school history, medaled in a state championship-level event at the Mid-States Band Association (MSBA) competition held in early November at Daviess County High School.
The Marching Cougars earned a spot at the MSBA event by finishing in the top 6 in the 4A West Regional quarterfinals.
In September, the Marching Cougars were selected as Reserve Grand Champions in what is widely regarded as the toughest and most challenging marching band class (4A), and finished that competition being named Best Guard and Best Percussion, along with Best Overall Guard and Best Overall Percussion.
The success the Marching Cougars experienced shouldn’t have come as a surprise, though, as the Marching Cougars, in their first competition of the season, were crowned Grand Champions at a competition at Washington County High School. The marching band was also selected at that event as Best Guard, Best Percussion, and again Best Overall Guard and Best Overall Percussion.
Band directors Ashley Bell and Aaron Bell, a married couple who have shared marching band directing duties for the last 15 years at GCHS, are quick to credit their marching band members’ attitude and work ethic as being the catalyst that propelled the band to new heights.
“First and foremost, the attitudes of the kids were so positive this year. They had a different work ethic and the leadership team was very strong,” Ashley told K105. “Our show last year was such a crowd and student hit, we weren’t sure how the kids would buy into this show. Once we played the first big moment in the show during camp, however, they realized this show could be special and they bought right in.”
Aaron Bell, while noting the band’s commitment to improve, was impressed with the way the Marching Cougars responded to the challenges put forth by the two directors on a daily basis.
“The success of any program,” Aaron said, “is driven by the dedication of its membership. Our kids are driven to be great and their work ethic reflects that.”
Possibly the greatest and most genuine complement a director can give to a band was offered by Aaron, as he stated: “They stopped at nothing to improve daily.”
“Our motto this year was ‘Better Than Yesterday,’ and they came to each rehearsal with that mindset,” he said. “We challenged them and they accepted it with determination to improve and succeed. The kids put in hours and hours of work and this season was truly the epitome of ‘don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong.’”
Seldom does a marching band not face setbacks and obstacles during a long, arduous season. This year was no different in that respect, except that the script was flipped, as the perceived setback was in reality one of the great moments in Marching Cougars history.
It was at the 4A Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) state semifinals, the toughest and most competitive class in Kentucky, that the marching band initially thought they had failed.
“We made it to semifinals” Ashley said, “and then finished 12th out of 12.”
A seemingly heartbreaking, disappointing result.
“How do you encourage students to keep going for three more weeks when they feel like failures at what they’ve worked so hard towards,” Ashley rhetorically asked.
The Marching Cougars’ frowns, though, were turned upside down when the reality of the situation became apparent.
“We actually made state history that day. It was the ONLY time in KMEA history where all 12 competing bands received a distinguished rating,” Ashley explained. “The scores were crazy close, and it proved to them (the Marching Cougars) that even though we may have been last, the competition was truly the best of the best.”
The marching band used the distinguished rating at the KMEA event to fuel their passion that then propelled them to complete the season on a high note at the Bands of America competition held last week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, an elite level event populated with outstanding marching bands from around the country.
The KMEA results “sort of lit of fire under them for the remaining three weeks, as we scored a distinguished rating four more times following that state performance, earned our bronze medal, and had an incredibly strong finish on the national level at Bands of America,” Ashley exclaimed.
The Band of America event, with 108 participating bands from 21 states, saw the Marching Cougars place 6th out of 17 Kentucky bands; 12th out of 29 in class 2A, and 57th out of 108 overall.
Most importantly, the Marching Cougars earned a stellar Distinguished Rating of 75.95.
Neither Bell hesitates to give praise to the marching band members for their desire to improve and compete at the highest level, particularly what the Bells refer to as the “leadership team.”
“Our leadership team, led by our Drum Majors Avery Gowin and Maggie Basham and President Connor Lee, were certainly the group of students steering the ship this season,” Aaron said. “They worked hard to build on the standards set by their predecessors and find improvements in our approach that works best for our program. Their ability to evolve and adapt to every situation is what defines their leadership and leGaCy this year.”
The satisfaction one gains when hard work pays off with tremendous, unparalleled results can sometimes inflate one’s self-image in a “look at me” moment. The Bells, though, derive their greatest fulfillment not from their self-worth, but from watching their hard working, dedicated Marching Cougars be rewarded for the time and effort they put in to be “Better Than Yesterday.”
“It’s such a joy. It’s my favorite part of it all: when the students get rewarded for their hard work” Ashley said. “They spend SO many hours dedicating themselves to making their show something special. My favorite memory is definitely getting to hang those bronze medals around their necks at Mid-States Championships.”
(Headline photo: The GCHS Marching Cougars after their outstanding performance at the Mid-States Band Association competition)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
