If you’re a band-head (or a fan), you’ve seen them…You’ve seen the YouTube clips, the summertime BOTB events that fill the gap between the end of the season, and the start of the next, etc. Spring and Summer are the times where community and Regional All-Star Bands start doing their thing. Whether it’s Louisiana Leadership Institute, The New Orleans All-Star Band, The Memphis All-Star Band, The Houston All-Star Band, etc (You get the picture…LOL).Odds are you’ll see any number of these Off-Season ensembles plying their trade, engaging in head to heads, developing regional rivalries, etc. Some of these ensembles consist of high-schoolers; Some are composed of alumni and/or current students of other programs. There’s no question that these groups add to the overall fabric and culture of the showband scene in every region of the country.
Is it healthy for the HBCU vision of the craft, though?
It really depends on WHO you talk to. If you’re talking to a director who receives kids that aren’t at the technical standard needed to sustain a program, you might see a slightly LESS positive viewpoint. For programs that are still developing, it can be a mixed bag.