History
Tradition is a highly valued, very
important aspect in the history of the Lone Oak High School Band. The
Lone Oak High School Band was formed in the fall of 1960 under the direction
of Richard L. Petty, a graduate of Murray State. There were members
in grades 7-12 because Lone Oak High School included these grades. These
teens started on the same level as the beginning bands do today. The
first concert was around Christmas time and the band played “Mary
Had A Little Lamb” among other selections. The crowd cheered for
them as if they had played Sousa. It was the beginning of a long running
tradition.
Anticipation of a band program was significant for a school without
all the choices of today. Lone Oak High School had a boys basketball
team and a baseball team. Except for school clubs, that was about the
extent of the extracurricular activities offered to students.
Within a year, the band was marching as well as playing instruments.
This was a new experience for every person in the band. There were long
rehearsals, summer long band practices and blisters. This tradition
is still going on today.
Their first band trip was to Miami, Florida where they marched in the
parade affiliated with the Lions Club International Convention. The
band had no uniforms, so they wore white button down collar short sleeved
shirts, white shorts (to the knees girls) white bucks, black knee sox,
belt, suspenders, and Kentucky Colonel hat. This was the first reference
to the Kentucky Colonel name of the Lone Oak Band tradition.
The band grew in size and achievement. In the early days of marching
band, there were no weekly competitions. Usually, there were two contests
during the fall. One was a head to head competition, and the other was
a rating festival at Murray State. The band practiced at Lone Oak Park
where fields 4 and 5 are now. We had no football team until the late
60s, so the band boosters maintained a marching field. When football
did come to Lone Oak, the games were played in the outfield of Brooks
Stadium. The band marched a completely different style, called precision
marching, with knees up, toes pointed, and each step measured. The fall
marching season was spent learning new shows for each football game.
You learned discipline in band. Upperclassmen were given jobs and were
expected to carry them out. With the title, came respect because you
earned it. This practice is still in place. Students are placed in position
of authority and they learn how to handle that position. It is a great
learning experience.
Changes
There were many changes that have
occurred in the band over the years. There were five different directors
in as many years during the 1980s. The foundation of the band was such
that it survived the many changes, and was successful during the transition.
This was a direct result of the fine beginning and middle school program
that keeps the kids coming into the high school band.
As band contests became more prevalent, the band evolved into a competition
based activity rather than a half time show band. Precision marching
gave way to drum corps style music. One show was designed and rehearsed
throughout the marching season. This method is not without controversy
by many music educators, but there is something to be said about working
toward a goal as a group and achieving that goal.
Lone Oak followed the trend and the band front changed drastically in
the early 80s. Majorettes were first integrated into the program as
part of the color guard, then eventually were replaced by flags and
rifles. The theory was that you could get a much bigger “visual”
from a five foot flag than you could from a 32” baton.
Music being played on the marching field has changed drastically. Because
of the nature of the competition, and the fact that students work on
the same show for so much longer, the quality of the music is superior
to that of years gone by. There is no doubt about that.
Another change from years gone by is the state wide judging guidelines.
Sanctioned competitions are held weekly across the state, and those
bands receiving Division I ratings can compete at the next level. There
are quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals.
Over the Years – Still the Same
Band
boosters are a very hard working group of people. You can get involved
with the program and really feel as if you had a part in the success
of the band. There is so much more to band than the music. While there
may be a few that are in the band to play their instrument to perfection,
the majority are in it for the joy of belonging, the satisfaction of
working together toward a common goal, and the fun.
Marching band is an activity where everyone is pulling for all the students
on the field. Band members are not ordinarily competing among themselves
for a chance to perform that weekend. They win as a group and they lose
as a group. The freshman flute player feels as much a part of a “win”
as the senior first chair trumpet player.
Many adults today who were a part of that first band would tell you
that Mr. Petty had a direct effect on them and what kind of people they
are today. It remains so today. The very nature of the work that band
directors and their students do and the time they spend together is
bound to have a memorable effect on the students.
Presently, there are about 400 children involved with the Lone Oak band
through the middle and high school programs. With this degree of interest,
turnover due to graduation is NOT a problem.
Recent Accomplishments
The last three years have been some of the best in the band's history.
In 2002, after losing 30+ seniors to graduation the previous year, the
band traveled to the BOA Grand Nationals in Indianapolis and made the
National Semifinals for the first time in their history, placing 4th
in their class.
2005 was even better. In addition to reaching the KMEA state finals
for the first time since the late '80's, the band once again reached
the semi-finals at the BOA Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, finishing
second in their class just slightly behind the winners. The band was
awarded "Best Overall Effect" in their class, the first time
Lone Oak's program had ever received a national recognition. The number
of members selected for All-District and Quad-State bands were some
of the highest in the program's history.
Individual awards for some members capped the season. Three members
received all-state recognition, including two who were first chair in
their instruments statewide. One of these also was selected as Soloist
for the Quad-State festival at Murray State University.
In 2006, the band formed an Indoor Drumline, under the direction of
Calvin Warren and Andy Fellows, to compete in the Southeast Color Guard
Circuit in the Scholastic A division. In its first year of competition,
the Drumline finished no lower than third in any competition, winning
first place at Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee and capping
the year with a third place finish overall at the SCGC Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee in early April.
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BOA Grand National Semi-Finalist