1 of 5

Parker Kelley is the trombone section leader.

Lindsay Dobyne practices with the Andalusia High School Sound Tradition during band camp on Wednesday. The band is preparing a jazz show for the 2018 school year. Dobine, who is flute section leader, also is an AHS cheerleader.

The trombone, tuba and saxophone sections practice during band camp Wednesday.

The drumline found a tiny bit of shade for practice Wednesday. Grant Brewer is the drum captain this year.

Andalusia High School’s marching band, A Sound Tradition, is gearing up for this year’s football season and they are all about jazz.

“We decided to do a jazz themed show this year,” band director Bennie Shellhouse said. “We have been doing rock for a couple years now so we needed to change it up.”

The show will include selections such as “Summer Time,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Fever,” and “Big Noise from Winnetka.”

The band will march with 177 students this year.

Though the sound will be the same, one thing will change for the students is the surface on which they march. AHS’s newly-renovated stadium has artificial turf.

“I think it will feel a little different marching on the AstroTurf,” Shellhouse said. “But other than it being a little bouncy, it shouldn’t make much of a difference.”

Along with the artificial turf, other changes may cause a sound difference for the band, but Shellhouse said it is too early to say.

“I know that we will be a lot closer to the stands,” Shellhouse said. “So that may make a difference, with reverb and things like that, but if anything it will be a positive impact.”

As part of the renovations, the track was removed, and the field moved closer to the home stands.

This summer was Shellhouse’s 23rd band camp, and as usual, he said it was hot.

“It has been a really good summer as usual,” Shellhouse said. “We have worked on a lot of the material, it has just been really hot.”

Trombone section leader and AHS senior Parker Kelley said that his time in band has gone by fast.

“It has gone by so fast, but it has been a great time,” Kelley said. “I think I am going to be sad when it is over, but happy to see the people younger than me take my spot.”

Kelley hopes to end his last marching season with a bang.

“I hope that the football team goes all the way this year and we win state,” Kelley said. “It is going to be sad to not play ‘Corn Corn’ anymore, but it has been fun.”

Kelley is excited to play something other than rock for this season’s show.

“I think it is going to be a great show,” Kelley said. “We are straying away from the rock theme and going into jazz so it will be really different.”

Cheerleader and flute section leader Lindsay Dobyne has been in band since sixth grade and said that letting go of band is going to be one of the saddest things of the year.

“I have been in band since middle school,” Dobyne said. “And I’ve been section leader for the past two years so it is going to be hard to let it go.”

Dobine plans to try out for the Million Dollar Band at the University of Alabama so she won’t have to put her flute down just yet.

As well as playing the flute, Dobyne is also a cheerleader, and she said that being in both groups is the best of both worlds.

“I get to have two different groups of friends,” Dobyne said. “So it has been great.”

The Sound Tradition will take the field on Fri., Aug. 24, at 7 p.m., when the Bulldogs travel to Saraland.

More News

Opp Chamber announces winners of first pie baking contest

Domestic violence conviction leads to 25-year sentence for Andalusia man

Courtney Bowers honored as AOPA’s Boss of the Year

Sen. Tommy Tuberville speaks at PowerSouth luncheon