Shelby County bands show their pride in 18th annual Showcase of Bands

Published 9:27 am Thursday, September 15, 2022

By Noah Wortham

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – Shelby County bands displayed their pride as they performed their shows to a crowd at this year’s Shelby County Showcase of Bands.

The annual event was hosted this year by Oak Mountain High School and was held at Heardmont Park from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept 13.

The goal of the showcase is to provide students with an opportunity to display their show before an audience and judges in a non-competitive environment, so they are prepared for upcoming competitions.

“It’s a great event. We really enjoy having all the bands out and getting the support (of) all the bands in the county,” Director of Bands at Oak Mountain High School Kevin Ownby said.

Ownby shared his expectations for the evening prior to the showcase’s start.

“What I hope to see is everybody being super supportive of one another,” he said. “Cheering on our shows and giving our students the opportunity to perform for an audience that is attentive toward what they’re doing, and give our programs a chance to get comments from qualified judges to help us as we move forward.”

The seven bands that participated in the event are Montevallo High School’s Marching Troubadours, Shelby County High School’s Pride of Shelby County Marching Band, Vincent Middle/High School’s Yellowjacket Marching Band, Calera High School’s Soaring Sound of Dixie, Chelsea High School’s Marching Hornet Pride Band, Helena High School’s Husky Marching Band and Oak Mountain High School’s “Spirit of Cahaba” Marching Band.

The 2022 Shelby County Showcase of Bands opened with a performance of the National Anthem by Oak Mountain High School’s “Spirit of Cahaba” Marching Band.

Each band at the showcase had a specific theme and associated track list which added variation to the performances.

Montevallo High School opened with a spirit-filled show entitled “Michael Jackson Hits” which included tracks like “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal.” Shelby County High School followed with their show “Heroes don’t need a cape” which included arrangements from “Batman,” “Spiderman” and “Man of Steel,” and included a moment in which the majorettes twirled batons that were lit on fire.

Vincent Middle High School displayed the power of its woodwind section in a show entitled “Music from the Motown supergroup The Temptations” which featured arrangements such as “Get ready,” “I can’t get next to you” and “Papa was a rolling stone.” Calera High School’s show was entitled “A Sunny Disposition” and featured a trumpet duet during a performance of “You are my sunshine.”

Chelsea High School was not afraid to show off its low brass section with their show entitled “Road Trip” which featured tracks such as “Life is a Highway” and “Highway 20 Ride.” Helena High School went all-out with its theme “Welcome to the Jungle” and performed tracks such as “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Jungle Boogie” alongside tree cutouts on the field. Oak Mountain High School’s show “Flight, Music that Soars” finished the showcase portion of the event with a true highlight of the night being the band’s performance of “Nimbus 2000” from “Harry Potter” as they gathered in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Before the final performance of the night, a moment of silence was held for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice in service of this country.

The showcase ended with the traditional gathering of all the bands on the field in order to perform “America the Beautiful” together.

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