Before the Apalachee High School marching band played a single note, the crowd was on its feet.
The young musicians of the Marching Cats band picked up their instruments this week and performed for the first time since the Sept. 4 mass shooting at their Barrow County high school. Music, football practice and other extracurricular activities are slowly returning as the community mourns the deaths of two teachers and two students.
This week, teachers and staff returned to the school to prepare for students who will come back next week. Half-day classes begin Tuesday. The shortened schedule, intended to ease students back into academic routines, will run through Oct. 4.
The band’s emotional moment in the spotlight at the 21st annual Northeast Georgia Marching Exhibition marked one more small step on that journey back.
“I have never been more fulfilled in my life, or in my 32 years of working with this band, than I was just watching them produce joy with each other,” said Brett Bawcum, director of the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band, of Apalachee’s Tuesday performance.
Bawcum was shocked when Apalachee’s band director, Dion Muldrow, told him they wanted to participate in the event that showcases high school bands. The UGA band hosts the exhibition.
But Bawcum knew it would give the high schoolers an opportunity to reconnect through their loved of music.
The Apalachee marching band received a standing ovation as they walked onto the Cedar Shoals High School football field in Clarke County. During their performance, the crowd was very attentive, Bawcum said. When the music stopped, the students received a roughly five minute standing ovation.
“You could see it in the kids’ eyes, how fulfilling that moment was,” Bawcum said. “I can’t imagine what was going on in their heads, but I’m relatively certain that a big part of it was love and joy.”
Muldrow, an alumnus of UGA and former Redcoat member, did not respond to a request for comment.
Maddie Price, a UGA sophomore and baritone horn player, said she could hear the Apalachee band playing from where she and her fellow bandmates stood waiting for their turn on the field. Price said there was a moment of awe as the standing ovation kept going.
Following the Apalachee performance, the Redcoats performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace” as a tribute to Apalachee. The college students also met with the high school band. They shared traditions and talked about college life and offered “tips and tricks” on how to join the Redcoats at UGA, Price said.
Price said her section taught the younger musicians how to play a part of The Incredibles theme song and encouraged them to join in a dance circle.
“We were trying to be cheerful and positive for them, but everyone’s emotions are kind of high,” Price said. “It was a really cool experience being able to play for them and help them get back to a sense of normalcy.”
The Apalachee shooting was the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history. Teachers Ricky Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie and 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo were killed. Nine other people were injured.
A 14-year-old Apalachee student has been charged with four counts of felony murder and is expected to face more charges. The student’s father also faces charges, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
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