Boles Marching Band Boasts New Uniforms

The Boles Marching Band has experienced an amazing amount of change over the past few years. A monumental step forward for the program was on display at Friday night’s football game against Dallas Life as the band sported new green uniforms.

The number of band members has grown, up from 29 members last year to 42 at present. Leona Hawkins, the President of the band booster club and proud mother of two band students, said this success can be attributed to the dedication of the band director, Jim Gallaher.

"If there is a teacher that students talk about, it’s him" says Hawkins, who was quick to praise Gallaher’s hard work.

A major stimulus for the band’s progress came about when Gallaher decided that seventh and eighth grade band students were performing well enough to warrant their inclusion in the marching band, a program typically occupied solely by high school students.

Gallaher describes the program as being "in the early development stage," as 33 middle school students and 10 high school students populate the group.

Though they are young, the numbers indicate a bright future for the marching band as the majority of students have several years of school and band ahead of them.

Just four years ago there were only two students in the sixth grade beginning band program. They now boast a whopping 34 members. This leaves the potential to have more than 50 students in the marching band by the beginning of next school year.

Gallaher is well on his way to building a substantial and successful group of students. "Within the next three years we should have a solid core of band members to build around," Gallaher said.

"With continued support from parents, school administration, and community businesses, the Boles Band Program will continue to grow into an organization the entire community will be proud to call their own," he added.

Highlighting the positive aspects of the program, Hawkins pointed to research that indicates a correlation between band membership and academic success. Some researchers have suggested that involvement in band translates into higher achievement in the classroom.

This point seems valid when considering Gallaher’s daily motivations in directing the Boles Band program.

"I try to provide an atmosphere where students can develop pride in their accomplishments," he said "I stress the importance of always doing their best and developing good work habits as early as possible in life. I hope to provide an environment where we work hard, play hard, and develop some life skills along the way."