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Band camp: ETSU hosting Morristown West marchers this week

Marching through the rain is not how most would start their work week, but band camp students at East Tennessee State University did just that Monday.

The Morristown West High School band arrived at ETSU Sunday night and will stay until Friday.

“We’ve been coming here, oh, probably at least 10 years now,” said Morristown West band director Michael Thomas. “I believe on going off for band camp. I think it makes it easier.”

The Morristown West band this year boasts 87 students who will practice for almost as long as the sun is up while at this camp. They are not here to take in the sights of the region.

Monday the students were out marching in formation in a clear parking lot on the southwest end of campus. The rain had cleared out by mid-morning and students were separated into drums, brass, color guard and woodwinds. They were not playing their instruments, but they were carrying them as they marched back and forth along the asphalt in an effort to perfect group timing.

“It just gets them out of town and keeps them focused better, I think,” Thomas said of why he makes the short trip to Johnson City each year. “They actually look forward to coming and getting away from mommy and daddy and their support.”

This year the band was practicing for a Spanish performance showcasing three songs from different areas of Spain. It is the only performance the band will do all year, Thomas said, which is common now.

“You’re going to do it all year, so it winds up being pretty complex,” Thomas said. “Right now we’re learning the maneuvering in order to do the complex aspect of the show.”

Thomas said Spanish music is articulate and can be loud at times.

“I have a pretty rousing brass section this year and a good drum section, so I thought, ‘Well, that’s the two things you really need to be able to pull Spanish music off, I think,’ ” Thomas said.

Emily Smith, a senior at Morristown West, is the drum major, which means she oversees the band and calls commands.

“I definitely think it’s beneficial to get away from the parents and to have a complete mind-set and be away from home and completely removed, so that you have nothing else to focus on but marching and getting it done and being able to learn in that environment,” Smith said.

She thought her fellow band mates would be ready to perform this fall she said as they marched in formation behind her.

“They’re working really hard and getting stuff done,” Smith said.