On September 23, 2023, the VHHS Marching Band competed at the Northwest Alabama Marching Classic in Russellville, Alabama. The competition featured eighteen bands competing across seven divisions, as well as exhibitions from the Russellville High School and University of North Alabama bands. Bands were judged on a variety of categories: drum major, majorettes, color guard, dance line, percussion, and overall band. The Vestavia band received superior ratings and won “best in class” for the 7A division in each category, as well as winning the following awards:
7A “Most Entertaining Band” award
Drake Miller (tuba)—7A “Best Soloist Award”
Overall “Best Pit Crew Award,” given to the front ensemble
Overall “Best Color Guard Award”
Overall “Best Dance Line Award”
Mr. Horton, co–band director, said after the competition: “I thought it was our best show of the year, so for us to be able to perform at the level we did I felt really really proud.”
This year’s show, titled Nobody Does it Better, is themed after the James Bond movies. It features both original music and sections inspired by the movie’s soundtrack as well as direct quotes from songs such as “Nobody Does it Better,” “No Time to Die,” “Skyfall,” “Welcome to Cuba,” and the James Bond theme. It is around 8 and a half minutes in length and consists of four movements, featuring several soloists:
The first movement features Nico Moreno on piano and Ashlyn Berry singing.
The second movement features a trio from Wyatt Williams (trombone) and Ruogu Lei and Andy Sheng (alto saxophone).
The third movement is a percussion feature with Nico Moreno playing the accordion.
The fourth features a tuba solo played by Drake Miller.
We sat down with Mr. Horton to ask him a few questions:
Daniel: What inspired you to make the show themed around James Bond?
Mr. Horton: I’ve always loved the James Bond movies and recently watched a documentary about its music.
Daniel: What gave you the idea of making the third movement, ‘Welcome to Cuba,’ solely with percussion and accordion?
Mr. Horton: In 2004, the Cavaliers [DCI drum and bugle corps] did a James Bond show, and in 2007, we [Vestavia] did one that also had “Welcome to Cuba” and that also wasn’t percussion. I wanted to revisit it, and the melody lent itself for the accordion: It was a unique interpretation and we had someone who could do it. We like and want to highlight the unique aspects of our band.
Daniel: Why did you decide to not have the usual props used in previous marching band shows?
Mr. Horton: First, we decided to use the whole ensemble as the backdrop, and that’s the reason why we bought the jackets. We also didn’t feel like we needed them to fit the music.
Daniel: What is the process behind you writing the music and Mr. Palmer writing the percussion parts and the movements on the field?
Mr. Horton: Mr. Palmer trusts me to write the music, and I send it to him and he then writes the percussion parts based off of it... I like to write the music based off the strengths and weaknesses and like to highlight the best of what we have.
Daniel: How do you feel about our progress this year compared to previous years?”
Mr. Horton: We are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were, especially compared to last year. Also, I think it’s the earliest contest we’ve had in like 5-6 years.
The marching band will continue rehearsing the different movements and sets through the rest of the football season. They have morning practices every morning from 6:50-7:50, and their next (and final) competition will be on 10/14 at Hewitt Trussville High School.
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