The fate of the Westbrook High School marching band is still up in the air, but there is some hope on the horizon. School officials are working with music boosters and students to find a way to field a band this year.
Principal Marc Gousse told a group of potential marching band members gathered at the high school on Aug. 14 that he would be meet with new marching band director Kyle Smith the next day about re-forming the band. Gousse said he would also help band members notify other students in the music program about the upcoming band camp.
The news came as a reversal of what band booster members and drum major Michelle Labbe were told at a band booster meeting Aug. 8.
At that meeting, Smith told the boosters and Labbe, the only student present, that the school didn’t have the numbers to field a band, according to Labbe. Smith told the boosters the band camp slated to begin Aug. 14 would be cancelled unless Labbe and others could gather enough musicians at the school, Labbe said.
Labbe and others called as many students in the music program at the high school as they could. She said she couldn’t contact everyone because she didn’t have a list of every student in the program. Also, the school hadn’t sent notices out to music students announcing the date and time of band camp as they had in previous years.
About 26 potential marching band members showed up at the school Aug. 14, with additional students saying they were interested in being in the band, but they unable to come because of work or vacation commitments, according to those present.
For band members, the afternoon started on a low note and ended on a high note. At first, the musicians and color guard members were told there would be no band and they would have to contact other high schools if they wanted to participate in the marching band.
After several parents visited Westbrook Superintendent of Schools Stan Sawyer in his office, however, Gousse came out of the school to tell everyone he would do whatever he could to make sure Westbrook got its marching band back.
While it’s not definite that Westbrook will have a band this year, Gousse and the students will be working this week to recruit more numbers. That effort will include sending out notices about the upcoming band camp to other students of the music program.
Last year, the school didn’t sent out notices, which was followed by a low turnout at the first day of band camp and then-director Scott Trach canceling the marching band for the year.
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