After five competitions near and far, the Westview Band earned several accolades and won the crowd’s heart on three separate occasions during this fall’s competitive season.
Preparing for the fall, began in July when the 55 students who make up the marching band and color guard took to the field for the 89th year.
Originating in 1930, The Westview Marching Band is one of the oldest school bands in West Tennessee, outside of Shelby County, and has been under the direction of Mike Tucker since 1992 for a total of 27 years.
Eight-hour per day practices in the summer and three-hours per day when school resumed helped to mold them into a support system for the Westview Chargers’ winning season on the gridiron. It also shaped them into champions in competitions that began in September and concluded at the end of October.
Their competitive season began with the Hornet Invitational in Medina, where, in Class AA-2, they captured 2nd place in Color Guard; 1st for Field Commander; 3rd for Percussion; 2nd for Band. In Division 1, they were 1st Place in Field Commander and third place overall out of nine bands.
At the Briarcrest Marching Invitational in Eads, in Class AA, they were 3rd place in Color Guard; 1st for Field Commander; 2nd in Percussion; and named 2nd place Band. In Small Division, they placed 2nd out of four bands.
The Mid-South Marching Classic in Jonesboro, Arkansas, saw them matched against four other bands in Class AA. They earned a rating of Excellent; 1st place Color Guard; 1st place for Field Commander; and 3rd place for Band. They were deemed the Crowd Favorite out of 16 bands.
In Newbern, they participated in the Choctaw Classic and once again took the Crowd Favorite Award and in their class earned 2nd place for Field Commander and were named the 3rd place Band.
Daniel Capua served as the often recognized field commander and came to the position as somewhat of a family tradition. “I grew up watching my brother and sister perform in the band, so I knew the reputation of excellence that this band has. It has been an honor and pleasure to lead this award-winning band as Field Commander during my senior year,” he said.
Their final competition was at Paragould McDonald’s Marching Invitational in Paragould, Arkansas. In their class they received 2nd Place for Percussion and 3rd Place for Band. In their division, they took 3rd Place for Visual Score and 3rd Place for Music Score. And overall, out of the 18 bands competing, they scored the Superior Rated Drum Major, Excellent Rated Band and the Crowd Favorite Award.
“The Westview High School Band has a long tradition of excellence that goes all the way back to its early beginnings in the 1930’s,” noted band director Tucker. “The students have always worked toward the goal of being the best musicians that they can be. They are outstanding ambassadors for Martin, Sharon, Weakley County, and the state of Tennessee. It is an honor to teach this group of young people.”
(Karen Campbell, Weakley County Schools Communications Director)
