Friday night lights

Friday nights will feel a little different this fall.

New Mountain Brook High School Band Director Jason Smith plans to step up the energy in the halftime show this year. A mix of California-themed songs will appeal to both students and their parents, and the addition of stages on the field and guest vocalists will add more depth to the show, he said.

“I think people will be surprised at how interactive and fun it will be to watch,” Smith said. “I want everyone to see the show at the first football game and have the desire to watch it again every week just to see what they miss or what has been added from week to week.”

The show will open with “Going Back to Cali” by LL Cool J, then move into a rock/jazz version of “Route 66,” followed by a medley of The Mamas and The Papas’ “California Dreamin’,” Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” and David Lee Roth’s “California Girls.” The show wraps up by reaching back to “Going to California” by Led Zeppelin and a finale of “California Love” by 2Pac. 

That energy from halftime will carry over into the rest of Friday night football as well. Smith, who started in the position in January after longtime director Dr. Frank Blanton retired, said he has been working with head football coach Chris Yeager and Athletic Director Benny Eaves as well as the cheerleading sponsor Shane Martin to create more unity and community among all the students.

Before kickoff, the band will perform a pregame show on the field that includes stand tunes, a patriotic medley and “The Star Spangled Banner” before forming a tunnel for the football team to run through. At the end of each game, the band, cheerleaders and student section will all join together to sing the alma mater. 

“We want to make sure there is a sense of camaraderie between the band, the cheerleaders and the student section, and that they know we are all there to support all the students involved,” Smith said. “And we want the football team to know we are all there to support their success on the field.”

Growing a band program is a particular challenge in Mountain Brook, Smith said, with so many other activities garnering the attention of potential band members. The band program begins in sixth grade, with students from all four elementary school taking a bus to Mountain Brook Junior High for their last class of the day. About 30 to 40 students participate in the sixth-grade beginning band.

Even with all the competing options for students, Smith sees band as a unique opportunity.

“Music triggers both the cognitive and affective mind,” Smith said. “Students in band experience facts and figures but also develop appreciation for art. That doesn’t happen in any other teaching environment.”

Smith has always been involved in band programs that have grown during his time with them. The band at Western Carolina University grew from 83 members when he started his freshman year to 250 when he graduated. At Enterprise High School, where he was an assistant director for 11 years, he grew the drum line to compete at percussion world championships. And at Opelika High School, where he spent the past seven years directing the 200-piece Spirit of the South Marching Band, he worked to create community with the band program like he plans to do at Mountain Brook.

For Smith, the first step in enhancing the program at Mountain Brook, which currently has about 100 members in the field show including Dorians and color guard, is to listen to students. He also wants not only the marching band but also the jazz band and symphonic band to be more involved in the community. As an example, he pointed to this spring when the band marched through the hallways of Brookwood Forest Elementary as a part of its 50th anniversary celebration, calling students out for a special photo on the school’s field. 

“Hopefully, if the band is doing their job in the community, you will see students that want to be involved in band and in the student section,” Smith said. “Parents will hopefully see the change in the students and the connection between all of them.”

Smith has successfully recruited all three of his children to play in band, and this year he is also looking forward to teaching all three of his kids, Braeden (10th grade), Grayson (seventh grade) and Jaimes Katelyn (sixth grade at Cherokee Bend), in an area that he said feels a lot like the mountains of North Carolina where he grew up.

“You can feel the energy here,” he said. “It’s a neat place to live and work.”