September 15, 2019
By: Bill Conger
The DeKalb County High School Band is superior. That was the rating judges gave the Fighting Tiger band Saturday (September 14) at the Upper Cumberland Marching Festival at Cumberland County High School in Crossville.
After a rain delay for a storm passing through, the band gave an electrifying performance on the field that earned them top scores in percussion, color guard, drum major and overall band.
“I think the kids did terrific on the field,” Band Director Tracy Luna said. “They played well and marched well. Overall, I think it was a great first run for the kids.”
“I want to give props to the color guard for their performance today,” Luna said. “I’m very proud of the band as a whole. I’m really proud of the percussion section. The players have done very well.”
The 36-member ensemble is performing the field show Shades of Latin this season.
“The first one [song] is a fiery Latin opener called “Border Crossing,” and it was written about 30 something years ago. I played it as a freshman in high school. “Diego’s Goodbye” came from a movie, which I love, called The Mask of Zorro. It’s a very beautiful ballad. I can’t wait for a couple of weeks. We’ve got a tune called “Malaguena” that we’re going to add in that’s going to knock the socks off the crowd, I think.”
The band’s next contest will be at the Yellow Jacket Invitation on September 28 in Trousdale County.