Skyline band director prepares students for marching season

While the 2024-2025 school year is just around the corner, bands like the award-winning Skyline Raiders Band, have begun their summer training schedule by giving freshmen students their first taste of what it means to be in a marching band. 

At the helm of these efforts is head band director Jesse Provo, who has been a band director at Skyline for 14 years, and is entering into his second year as the band program’s leader.

Last week, band students came to Skyline to pick up their instruments, and, this week, Provo and his team began training freshmen for the upcoming marching season. tudents will learn basic warmups, get back into practicing and playing their instruments, as well as beginning to learn marching skills.

“It’s a learning curve so we have the freshman learn the way we do things – how we march, how we stand at attention, exercises, and so on.”

He said that for freshmen, the marching aspect of the program is new to them, as they’ve spent most of their time sitting down and learning music during their middle school years. Provo said that this training will help when the more experienced students in the higher grade levels join them next week. It’s almost as if they’re on an equal playing field because they’ve had that extra week of practice and preparation before everyone else returns.

Going into his second year as band director, he said what he’s most looking forward to is seeing a little bit more growth from his students, to see how they come together as a band family, as the band program happens all year round from August until June.

“I look forward to seeing our kids grow and taking on all of the challenges that I know are going to come, and being able to see them overcome them,” he said.

One of the aspects that Provo said he and his team enjoyed the most about this job is making connections and seeing his students grow. 

“You can see them move on to college and do this at the university level as well,” he said. “Some of our kids become band directors. It’s great to see them join the band director ranks.” 

Former students who are now band directors have come back to visit and offered to help, he said.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to know that students have taken their music education and experience and have translated it to a career path for them,” Provo said. 

He credits his middle and high school band directors for motivating him to pursue music. He said as a student he remembers feeling great joy to go from not being able to read music, to being able to do it at a high level. After graduating from high school, his career path as a professional musician and educator began when he attended Alabama State University, where he also participated in the band at the university level.

Whether you are a student who has been in the band program since middle school or if this is your first time joining the program this year at Skyline, Provo said there’s a place for everyone in his program. 

“We  try to incorporate everybody and meet them where they are,” he said. ”I’ve seen such a big difference in students compared to when they first come in.” 

He said some students come in shy, but then they make new friends and learn to play an instrument. This gives them new skills and confidence. 

“Just to see their growth over time and see how they’ve changed from that shy person that didn’t really speak into becoming leaders i

n the band program over a course of a short period of time, is just wonderful to see that,” he said. 

Provo said that whether students decide to pursue a career in band or not, it opens doors for them. Students have included their participation in band on their resumes, and employers have found that to be an advantage, as band requires commitment and dedication. 

The Skyline Raiders band is a staple in the community and is often asked to perform at different events such as parades, opening ceremonies, and other celebrations. Provo said it’s an honor to go out into the community to perform outside of the band room because it shows that the community believes in them. It also gives the students an opportunity to give back, he said.

“From our standpoint, as long as the kids are growing in the right direction and they’re learning music, growing and being able to play and perform, and they like what they’re doing, that’s what’s most important. We want to see them growing, prospering, and performing,” Provo said.