Together As One: A Marching Band Story

This election season, the T.C. Roberson High School marching band wants to promote unity and civic duty through music.

Photos: 1. The Rams color guard rehearses their routine at T.C. Roberson High on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. 2. Senior drum major Oscar Edrada conducts the Rams marching band. 3. A flautist stands with her section and rehearses the drill. 4. The Roberson drum line stands at attention as the sun sets over the Rams football field. 5. Director of Bands Jim Kirkpatrick aligns his students during Tuesday's rehearsal. (View the full photo gallery on Facebook.)

10/27 Update: The full performance video is now available on Facebook. The YouTube video is embedded below this article.

Story/Photos By: Benjamin Rickert
BCS Communications Dept.

Senior drum major Oscar Edrada conducts the Rams marching band.

As our nation faces the uncertainty of an election season and a global pandemic, the T.C. Roberson High School marching band wants to promote unity and civic duty through music. Their upcoming show entitled "Together As One - One Nation" will feature a selection of well-known patriotic pieces and student narration underscoring our commonalities and the importance of casting a ballot.

Senior drum major Oscar Edrada summed up the value of the program in one word: community.

“It’s great that we get to be out here and make music. It’s been super beneficial for everyone in the band,” he said. “But more than anything, it’s about being together. We’re putting a huge emphasis on community.”

A flautist stands with her section and rehearses the drill.

Students rehearsed in the evenings this month for the show that will be recorded and shared online prior to the November 3 elections. On Tuesday, October 20, the band performed a visual block rehearsal, reviewing and practicing their on-field movements. Having previously studied the music, students wore masks and marched silently while holding their instruments in order to master the visual components of the program. When students both play and march, they will use special instrument masks that allow them to make music while limiting the spread of COVID-19.

“It all connects back to our values,” said Roberson Director of Bands Jim Kirkpatrick. “We want the program to bring out the best light of what is happening in our country right now, for the students to gain an appreciation for our right to vote, and to give them a voice. These students have a way of connecting with their community through music like no other.”

“It’s very important to encourage more people to vote,” said junior drum major Lucca Ferraz. “I think as a nation, as a school, and as a community, we need to really come together during this pandemic. It's really hit hard for a lot of people.”

The Roberson drum line practices as the sun sets over the Rams football field.

Junior drum major Dylan Covert agreed and added that while it’s been a different experience marching with masks while social distancing, his classmates have enjoyed being together again with the goal of encouraging citizens to vote.

Roberson’s performance is a local iteration of a nationwide musical movement and collaboration between Varsity Spirit, the National Federation of State High School Associations, the College Band Directors National Association, and other groups. The Asheville-based program will include well-known melodies like the Star Spangled Banner and Yankee Doodle. The final performance will be recorded and edited by band parent and Sound4VO owner Dan Friedman. The production will be shared through Roberson and Buncombe County Schools social media channels.

During the big performance and his final year with the marching Rams, Edrada said he is most looking forward to conducting the Star Spangled Banner.

“You’re on top of the podium and you’re looking down at the band,” he described. “As your hands come down, the sound just erupts from the field. It’s a crazy feeling to have a song that you know come to life in front of you.”

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A Message from T.C. Roberson High Director of Bands Jim Kirkpatrick:
"Together as One – One Nation" was designed in response to our extraordinary circumstances during the pandemic and also as an opportunity for students to be engaged in the creative process despite limitations at school. The production will be released in time to share with the community leading up to Election Day, November 3, 2020. The message to the community will be that we as a nation, in light of our differences, share the opportunity to stand as one and exercise our right to vote as American citizens. Our freedoms, that we cherish so deeply, are ultimately influenced by our action (or in-action) during election season. It is the hope of the TCRHS Band that their performance will serve as an inspiration for our community to fulfill their civic duty during election season.

Update: The full performance was posted on October 27, 2020.

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