Literary Twist: The Armuchee High Marching Band

As the rain fell Thursday morning, the Armuchee High Marching Band was hard at work on their show for this year, “The Caged Bird Sings.”

The band took shelter in the school, spending the morning memorizing the show’s music. Then, the group separated into sections, where they received individual instruction on their parts in the show.

“We’ve done a lot of learning,” band director Adam Chasteen said. “We’re hoping to finish putting on the opener this evening, so that will be really exciting.”

The show is based on poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s work “Caged Bird,” a poem that addresses the struggles Black Americans have faced as they sought freedom and equal rights under the law.

The performance features imagery and music themed around birds and captivity. Throughout the show, excerpts from Angelou’s famous poem will play, weaving her inspirational words with dynamic music.

“I feel like our show really paints a picture,” co-drum major Olivia Taft said. “When we have our props and stuff, it will really come together. I get goosebumps when they get done playing it. This show is probably the best show we’ve ever done.”

All of the band members were excited about the show and the uniqueness of the theme.

“I love the show because we’ve never done a show that actually had a deeper meaning to it,” co-drum major Damia Greene said. “If you’re a person that loves poetry and literature, you will love the show.”

Chasteen is a new teacher at Armuchee High, and he said that finding the perfect show for the band was an interesting challenge. He needed to hear how the band performed and then find a piece that would suit them and interest them.

He said he knew the creator of the show, Ben Lee, and sat down with him to look at his pieces and find what would best suit the band. Once he heard the arrangement he knew it would be perfect for the band.

“Even though it’s a show about birds, it’s a lot of in-your-face,” Chasteen said. “There are some really huge moments throughout, and the kids really enjoy letting loose and being able to play like they’re in a marching band.”

Heading into the school year, the drum majors said that most of the band is looking forward to Friday night games. Greene said that being able to play for their school and support their team is incredible.

“There’s just something about playing at your home field; it’s just amazing,” Greene said.

The Armuchee High Marching Band will perform “The Caged Bird Sings” at football games and competitions in the upcoming year.

“The kids are putting in such great amounts of work right now,” Chasteen said. “I’m so excited to see where we’re going to end up because the students are working so hard to make this show their own.”

Thursday was the second-to-last day of band camp. Armuchee High’s band camp ends this week with a parent performance on Friday at 8 p.m.