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Auburn High School 405 S. Dean Rd. Auburn, AL 36830 Office: (334) 887-4970 Band: (334) 887-4986 __________ |
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The Early
Years (1936-1956) The Goff Years (1957-1988) The Logan Years (1989-2004) The Future |
| The Early Years |
After the fall semester of 1945, Miss Benton left LCHS, and Mrs. Mary McDonald Watson assumed the directorship of the Band starting January 1946. She quickly reorganized the band program, creating a concert band, which gave its first performance on February 14, 1946. Her efforts in rounding up support for the fledgling program in the form of instruments and uniforms resulted in the concert band (then known as the Senior Band) growing into a true symphonic band rather than simply a marching band playing concert music. In its second year of existence, the 40-member Senior Band placed three students in the Alabama All-State Band--two which claimed first chair on their instrument. The following year, the band entered a concert competition for the first time, earning unanimous superior ratings at the 1948 District Competition. After the 1948 year, Mrs. Watson resigned, but we still remember her contributions to the Auburn High Band through the annual giving of the Watson Award to the outstanding sophomore member of the Honors Band.
Fred Mann was director of the Bands from 1948 until 1950, when he was replaced by Paul H. Stewart, who served until 1953. Mr. Stewart resigned the August before the 1953-54 school year started, forcing LCHS to scramble to find another director at the last minute. Alabama Polytechnic Institute graduate student Bob Lewis took over the band for fall semester of that year, and was succeeded in January 1954 by George Corradino, a Florida State music graduate who had previously been director of the 610th Air Force Band in Panama City, Florida. Like Mrs. Watson a decade before, Mr. Corradino restructured the band, adding a jazz band--the Blue Notes--in 1955, and leading the Marching Band to the top award at the Auburn University Band Clinic. He originated the tradition of the Supper Concerts in 1956, and laid the foundation of the modern AHS Band, priming the band for a master architect that would build the band into the world-class organization that it is today -- Mr. Tommy Goff.
| The Goff Years |
By 1963, the band had captured the Alabama state records for most consecutive ones at district and state competition, and was recognized as having more ones in its history than any other Alabama band had ever had. But they were not through yet. Throughout the 1960's and into the 1970's the band kept racking up a perfect score in district and state competitions every year. It became a common occurrence to see the Band at an NFL football game, or playing with the Auburn University Band at a college game. The band program grew such that by the early 1960s a second concert band had to be added. In 1961 once of the greatest traditions of the AHS Band began, that of Band Camp at Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, GA. In 1972, a group of students approached Mr. Goff with a proposition to form a new class at Auburn High, and Laboratory Experiences in Instrumental Music was founded, to be better known in the future as the Lab Band, a Jazz ensemble. The fledgling Lab Band was named one of the top ten high school jazz bands in the U.S. in 1974, and cut a record with members of Doc Severensen's band in New Orleans. In the 1970s, the concert band continued its swath through all competitions, only having received twos from four judges since 1957 (The band has received no score less than a one since). The Symphonic Band was twice invited to the Music Educators' National Conference in the 1970s, and the Marching Band was among the top 10 bands in the nation in producing McDonald's All-American Band members, the top honor a marching band member can receive. In 1976, the Concert Band made its first trip to state competition and became the first "second" band to receive a superior rating, and became the first to receive a perfect rating in 1980. In 1981 the Band decided to take a break from its quarter-century domination of state band competition and start going to out-of-state competitions instead.
In the 1980s, the band continued its run, winning first place awards and best in class awards at competitions in Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Daytona Beach, Nashville, and Orlando, winning many contests multiple times. The Lab Band also won most of its competitions, and the marching band remained at its high level, still playing at Auburn University football games, including the nationally televised Auburn-Texas game in 1988. In 1984, Mr. Goff took a year off on sabbatical, leaving the reigns of the band in the hands of Everett Johnson, the newly hired assistant band director. The Lab Band made several trips to Europe winning contests there each time. However, the highlight of the 1980s (and in fact of the entire band program) was the awarding to the band in 1988 of the John Phillip Sousa Foundation's Sudler Flag of Honor, the top award that can be received by a high school band. There is no award that is any greater than the Sudler Flag to a high school band, and upon winning it, the band received congratulations from mayors, state representatives and senators, dignitaries from musical organizations, United States Representatives and Senators, the Governor, and President Ronald Reagan. No band in Alabama has won the award before or since.
Having reached the pinnacle of what a band director can do, Mr. Goff retired in 1988, finishing his 32 years with a overall Superior-Excellent-Good-Fair-Poor record of 220-4-0-0-0.
| The Logan Years |
In 1995, anticipating growth of the band program, the Symphonic Band was renamed the Honors Band and the Concert Band was renamed the Symphonic Band. By 1997, this growth had arrived and forced the band to cease the tradition of Band Camp at Pine Mountain, as the band had outgrown the Large Group Camp at FDR State Park. Fortunately, many of the great traditions of Band Camp lived on at subsequent Band Camps on the campus of Auburn High and at Chewacla State Park. Growth had its benefits, though--in 1997, a third concert band was added, and designated the Concert Band. Also in 1997, the Marching Band made its first trip overseas, with a performance in the Lord Mayor of Westminister's New Years Parade in London, England. The Marching Band also performed at halftime for Auburn University football games in 1996 and 1999, and was invited to the 1994 Gubernatorial Inaugural Parade. In 2001, the Marching Band returned to Europe for the La Grande Parade de Paris in Paris, France, and, in 2005, the combined concert bands performed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in commemoration of the end of World War II.
The continuing rapid growth of the band program resulted in the creation of a fourth concert band for a single year in 2000-01, before returning to three concert bands the following fall. In 2003, the 9th grade moved from Auburn High to Auburn Junior High School, and the AHS Band shifted back to two concert bands again, with AJHS ninth- graders remaining members of the Marching Band. The band has grown from its original 26 students to over 200, and continues to grow. The band still produces the highest number of All-State students proportionally in the state, as well as hundreds of solo and ensemble medals in the past few years. In the past few years band members have been sent to Interlochen, Tanglewood, and Eastman, been principal players in the National High School Honor Band, and have included the nation's top high school percussionist, the state's best flautist, percussionist, baritone saxophonist, Eb clarinet player, piccolo player, bass clarinetist, and tuba player.
| The Future |
© Trey Armistead, 2006. Last revised 2 April 2006.
Photos of the Band
• 1936-1939
• 1940-1949
• 1950-1959
• 1960-1969
• 1970-1979
• 1980-1989
• 1990-1999
• 2000-2004
Personnel by Year
• 1937-2004
Music of the Honors Band
Played in the following years
• 1958 • 1959
• 1960 • 1961
• 1962 • 1965
• 1966 • 1967
• 1969 • 1970
• 1971 • 1972
• 1975 • 1976
• 1977 • 1978
• 1979 • 1980
• 1981 • 1982
• 1983 • 1984
• 1985 • 1986
• 1987 • 1988
• 1989 • 1990
• 1991 • 1992
• 1993 • 1994
• 1995 • 1996
• 1997 • 1998
• 1999 • 2000
• 2001 • 2002
• 2003 • 2004
Related Links
• Past directors
• Band timeline
• Band awards and honors
• History of AHS
