But 50 years ago what might have happened? Was there even a band?
The marching band’s history goes back farther than anyone currently in the school can remember and much has changed since its founding. Back when marching uniforms had capes and there were Twirlers instead of Guard the band was a small fraction of the size it currently is.
Since the band has become so massive they’ve separated it during concert season between the JV, Concert, Symphonic, and Wind Ensemble bands. The current size of the organization is numbered around 320 and fifty years ago there were only 51 musicians. This wasn’t more than the size of today’s concert band.
Some of the things that remained the same include the student leader ship positions like Drum Major, band president and librarian. Though there were student directors then and they lacked the section lieutenants like the band has nowadays. And obviously since the band has grown and the budget increased, there are a variety of instruments that weren’t included in the group years back. Some of these include Bass Clarinet, Piccolo, Tenor and Bari Saxophones, and several other percussion instruments.
The directors today are very important to the band. Jeff Downey, Andrew Easton, Jessica Loggins, Percussion Director Chris King, and Guard Instructor Heather Benton are all looked up to by the entire organization and are some of the finest instructors Tomball High School have ever had. But none of them have had the chance to have the impact that Lenard Chambers had.
He was one of the most important directors in the band’s history who passed away July 12, 2010, set many of the precedents that the band uses today. His accomplishments have become tradition and part of, not just the band’s, but the entire school’s identity. Chambers started the high schools first choir program and the junior high band and choir programs. The Patriotic Show, Fine Arts Festival, and Cougars for Christ were all started by him. The Fine Arts Wing is even named after him.
When it comes to band traditions, he arranged the music for the Tomball School Alma Matter (school song), started the tradition of playing Grandioso and Washington Lee Swing (fight song) along with designing the “Charm block” and block “T.” All of which are continued today. He has countless other accomplishments related to Tomball and was so important to the city that they even created “Leonard Chambers Day” on June 13, 1993.
More change to the band is to come with the opening of the new high school. This year’s band has become the largest the school band has ever been and will probably ever be. But when the new high school opens many of the current freshmen, along with many of the new freshmen, will go to Tomball Memorial High school. Some of the band’s directors may be heading over there, too.
Since the marching band this year was so talented it looks as if next year will probably continue competing successfully against some of the toughest bands in the state. The future of the band looks bright, and that shines on the grand tradition of the Tomball Cougar Pride Band.
