By SHEALYN PRATT
Over the past three months, the Ranger Band has faced several changes. At the start of June, former band director Alexander Perkins left the program. That left the members of the Ranger Band to be self-led throughout the early part of the semester.
Despite the challenge, the band has persevered.
“I feel like we’re doing good for what we had to work with,” said Hadley Weathers, a senior trumpet player for the Ranger Band.
Regardless of practicing and preparing without a director and losing many members to graduation last spring, the band is ready for the year.
“We got all of the pre-game on the field before band camp ended,” Weathers said. “Which hasn’t happened the entire time I’ve been in band”
As band camp neared its end, Corey Burton, assistant professor of instrumental music, began directing the band. Members carried on business as usual in the Intramural Field, despite the 100-degree weather.
“We’ve been running drill every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the dead of the heat,” Weathers said. “Been hard to work around that but we are getting through it!”
The changes within the program have not changed anything about what game days will look like moving forward. The band will be performing at the first home football game this Thursday against Arkansas Tech.