It’s big and maybe only struck one or two times in a performance, but Joshua Zimmerman is making sure the Atlanta Band’s gong is present and ready for its striking.
This group says they’ve done all they can to prepare the Rabbit band for its halftime show recently against Mt. Vernon. From left, the band teachers are Keith Sanders, Larry Breshears, Kristen Thompson, Deniece Conley and Scott Conley.
High school bands which practice for years to perform are often judged by how many bass horns they have. Atlanta’s band marches with 12 and has 18 on roll.
Kenneth Smith is standing before the huge Atlanta High Big Bad Band from Rabbit Land to play a solo on the soprano saxophone. Don’t worry. He’s well heard.
Playing not only rhythm but also melody are these cymbals and marimbas. The performers are Nevaeh Falls, left, and Jaxon Durmon. The percussion section is distinctly heard during the band’s halftime show.
AHS Band 2025
Atlanta’s high school band is a treat. It’s a question whether most people watch the band or the football game itself. Sometimes at halftime, some football players take off their shoulder pads and march with band. That’s not reversed as of yet. Band members don’t play football. They play instruments.
In Atlanta’s program, band players usually start in the sixth grade, and participation amounts to about 95 per cent of the grade. In high school, Atlanta’s band program reaches some 33 per cent of the student body while the state average is eight percent. In all, some 460 students play in band, grades 6 through 12.
And the band succeeds. Director Keith Sanders credits the achievement to the students and their “sticking to it” as well as the long number of working years his instructors have given. Four have over 20 years with Atlanta and one, Hunter Hale, the newest, already has nine.
Last year, the band was a state silver medalist finisher in the 2024 UIL Marching contest. The year before they had been the bronze medalist.
This is among 180 3-A band programs in the state. Since 1980, the band has won the right to participate at state 16 times, and this includes the fact that during much of this time the state held competition only every other year.
And of it all, Director Sanders has direct opinion.
“The kids and staff buy in to our program, and I’m glad we have such an influence on the student body. In this way, everybody buys in.”
This year’s entertainment program is called “Moonspell.” In four sections, it demonstrates the moon’s effect on the world and life, such as tides and personal behavior. The audience is encouraged to listen and watch and use one’s imagination to see what the students are doing.
Here’s one example.
As the show starts, only a few colorful flags are being waved. But all of a sudden, the flag section is enlarged by eight players from the sideline who come on-field to give the impression of something larger and more important is happening.
This additional number of players is called the “field crew.” They are junior high students who have gained the honor of joining the high school’s halftime program. They come on the field almost unnoticed but then join in to enlarge the bands’ impact with colorful flag waving and performing other helpful acts.
The effect is eye-opening. It’s something to note from your seat in the stands. That’s the “Moonspell.” Enlarging impact. It’s what the Big Bad Band from Rabbit Land is all about, too.