Driving by Prattville High School’s campus on a hot and humid morning in late July, you’d expect to find it all but abandoned. After all, most students spend that time of year doing their best to ignore the passing of time and enjoy the last remnants of summer.
The same, however, can’t be said for the more than 140 students participating in the high school’s “Pride of Prattville” marching band program. For them, the work of preparing for this year’s halftime show they’ll perform during high school football games through the fall began way back in April, and it only got more laborious in the months leading up to August.
The performing arts program, which has been around for more than 75 years, kicked off its summer band camp on July 20, with some practices lasting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. as students learned to play their music by heart while also memorizing the drill work involved in creating the visual designs showcased in the performance.
It’s an often tedious process that involves standing in the summer sun for hours at a time, taking a few steps to the left then maybe a few more to the back, making sure you’re in line and then starting it all over again…