Mighty Sound of the South performs semester opener

The band played classics such as the “Go Tigers Go” fight song and previewed its routine for the Memphis vs. Chattanooga football game on Aug. 30. According to William Plenk, director of athletic bands, the ensemble had only been rehearsing for 12 days before the performance.

The event drew about 100 spectators, including students and parents, who were impressed with how polished the band sounded despite its short preparation time.

The band was met with cheers and shock at how they performed, despite the band only starting practice recently. “(They are this good) and only starting a week ago, it's great,” said Jenn Champlan, a parent.

“I love it, It was so much fun,” said Sueli Furtado, a freshman. “I used to be in (high school) band, so being able to pull off all of that for only 12 days of practice and rehearsal is incredibly impressive. 

 While the crowd saw the feat as remarkable, some band members noted it wasn’t as difficult as it seemed.

“On a scale of one to ten focus-wise wise it's a ten, but I’d say seven out of ten on the difficulty scale,” said band member Ira Huggins. They described a typical day of preparation:   

“We start at 8:30 a.m. We do our mornings, ornamental block, then we go back and forth. We don’t play very much, then after that we’ll break off. We may go to lunch but may also get into sectionals and split off into different groups,” said Huggins. “Then we’ll work on the music, play all the music, look at our progress, and then we'll do the same thing again. Then we get on the field, put it together, and go to dinner, then we come back and do it again.” 

At the end of the performance, the band also announced a fundraiser on Sept. 27 at Plough Concert Hall. All ensembles will perform, with tickets priced at $35. More details are expected in the coming days.

Mel Eleftheriou is a reporter for The Daily Helmsman. They can be reached at mlfthrou@memphis.edu.