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County Band Duels with Visiting Performers from Detroit

by Ruth Ann Ruiz
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By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor

The Mighty Rockets marching band from Detroit Michigan was on a mission in La Marque on Thursday evening.
They were in town for a band and drill team duel. According to Malik Johnson, the band director, for many of the students from Michigan this was their first visit to Texas and for many, it was their first trip outside of Detroit.
The band had come to Texas escorted by parents and grandparents and had spent a day at Texas Southern University rehearsing with the collegiate band, reported one of the proud mothers of a band member.
The touring band is formed from students at George Crockett Academy, a charter school in Detroit. Johnson said he makes it his mission to organize a trip to a historically Black college for his band every school year. G-County Marching Thunder, which is formed of students from fourth grade through 12 th. grade and who live in Galveston County, Texas, was as much on a mission as their counterparts from Michigan.


Under the leadership of Kendre Nance, the Texas band recently returned from its trip to North Carolina, where its members demonstrated their musical prowess both on a field and in a parade.
The marching, drumming and choreographed drill team moves began without much announcement, other than the presence of the performers’ intense facial expressions and their marching into position in the parking lot of Ignite Community School Mainland.
While most of the attendees at Ignite’s Fall Festival were occupied enjoying Halloween fun, many others gathered around the dueling bands.
After marching into position, the bands merged and gave the crowd a demonstration of their united power.
G-County Marching Thunder was the first to perform in the duel. Then the Mighty Rockets displayed their drumming power. The crowd was quiet, observing, listening and shifting viewing positions as the bands exchanged turns performing.
Dueling continued with one intense match up after another. Performers were precise in their music and their dance moves.
A final duel between drummers from each band ended the evening’s show.

In the end, the drill teams were not out on Thursday to win or lose. They were out there to show mutual respect for the other band and perform. Therefore, no winner was declared, The audience was pleased with the show and the young musicians and
dancersThe Mighty Rockets marching band from Detroit Michigan was on a mission in La Marque on Thursday evening.
They were in town for a band and drill team duel. According to Malik Johnson, the band director, for many of the students from Michigan this was their first visit to Texas and for many, it was their first trip outside of Detroit.
The band had come to Texas escorted by parents and grandparents and had spent a day at Texas Southern University rehearsing with the collegiate band, reported one of the proud mothers of a band member.
The touring band is formed from students at George Crockett Academy, a charter school in Detroit. Johnson said he makes it his mission to organize a trip to a historically Black college for his band every school year.
G-County Marching Thunder, which is formed of students from fourth grade through 12 th. grade and who live in Galveston County, Texas, was as much on a mission as their counterparts from Michigan.
Under the leadership of Kendre Nance, the Texas band recently returned from its trip to North Carolina, where its members demonstrated their musical prowess both on a field and in a parade.
The marching, drumming and choreographed drill team moves began without much announcement, other than the presence of the performers’ intense facial expressions and their marching into position in the parking lot of Ignite Community School Mainland.


While most of the attendees at Ignite’s Fall Festival were occupied enjoying Halloween fun, many others gathered around the dueling bands.
After marching into position, the bands merged and gave the crowd a demonstration of their united power.
G-County Marching Thunder was the first to perform in the duel. Then the Mighty Rockets displayed their drumming power. The crowd was quiet, observing, listening and shifting viewing positions as the bands exchanged turns performing.
Dueling continued with one intense match up after another. Performers were precise in their music and their dance moves.
A final duel between drummers from each band ended the evening’s show.

In the end, the drill teams were not out on Thursday to win or lose. They were out there to show mutual respect for the other band and perform. Therefore, no winner was declared, The audience was pleased with the show and the young musicians and
dancers were happy to be able to perform together and share their talents with the
public.

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