La Grange Band Marches Through Pandemic Obstacles, On to Area Competition

Amidst the most challenging conditions imaginable, the La Grange High School band has marched its way to remarkable success this year.

After earning superior ratings at the UIL regional contest two weeks ago in Giddings, the Leps will march Saturday at Hays Consolidated in Kyle at the 4A area contest, with their Pandora’s Box-themed show.

They are one of 26 bands competing at Area from a huge geographic swath, that stretches from the Fort Worth to San Antonio areas, all trying to snag one of five spots at state.

No La Grange marching band has ever advanced to state.

Getting to state is incredibly difficult, La Grange band director Ramon Parker said.

But the Leps have certainly been working hard to try to make history. They’ve been practicing since August, and currently they are practicing six hours a week outside of school. Many nights, long after it gets dark, the Leps are marching in the football field parking lot.

“I’m proud of the kids, proud of the work they are doing,” Parker said. “We’re just hoping to have the best possible performance we can have Saturday.”

All the hard work has come against the backdrop of the COVID crisis, which has just compounded the obstacles.

“In a normal year marching band in hard. Throw in a global pandemic and it’s like, wow, this is difficult,” Parker said. “But the top bands push through and that’s what separates them,”

Parker said his students have done an excellent job of following the school’s safety protocols, but still COVID quarantine precautions have sidelined a number of students.

If a student tested positive they were out at least 10 days. If a student had close contact with someone who tested positive they were out at least 14 days – even if they never contracted the virus.

The entire band hasn’t been together since before October, Parker said.

“We were losing kids every day,” he said. “I’d go to the attendence office and be like, okay who do we lose today.”

“There was a point where I was thinking, if things keep up like this, we’re not going to have a band next week.”

At the regional contest, there were 14 holes in the marching formation from students that were out.

But many of those students have returned.

Parker knows all the other bands they are competing against are facing the same challenges.

“Other bands are experiencing the same things. You just persevere and keep going,” Parker said. “The kids this year are learning a lot about being strong and being resilient.”