By GAGE WILSON
Glasgow News 1
Starting in early July, 60 students belonging to Glasgow High School’s marching band began practicing a show that would take them to statewide attention. Rather than spending the last weeks of their summers without direction, these students came together with their instructors and families to place in the finals of the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Competition. Studying choreography and memorizing music, all while contending with the late-summer heat both high school and middle school band members competed against 10 other bands at Western Kentucky University campus Saturday, Oct. 28.
Johnathon Holmes has been the band director at GHS for the past 10 years, seeing his students through three wins in the AA category from 2019 through 2022. KMEA divides the bands not just by the band size, but now includes the size of the school.
“Flight of the Monarchy” was the theme of this year’s show, a play on words about the monarch butterfly and the popular interlude “Flight of the Bumblebee” with the color guard and band sporting bright oranges, and music reminiscent of composition created for and about kings and queens.
GHS band placed third in the KMEA competition, with this year’s color guard receiving high scores, which overall, was very strong this year according to Holmes.
“Our kids have come together as a team,” he said. “They have found a new family. Our students have been working each and every day for a love of our program.”
While the students and directors put forward a lot of work, Holmes wanted to also spotlight an often thankless job.
“We could not give students what we do, if it wasn’t for our band parents,” Holmes explained. “The help that they volunteer with props, uniforms, even snacks can’t be understated and we are so appreciative to them for their works.”
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