At High Point’s inaugural high school Battle of the Bands competition, mentorship paves the way for next generation

Featured photo: Southwest Guilford’s students perform during the inaugural High Point Battle of the Bands competition on April 26. (photo by Maaroupi Sani)

When Matthew Brailsford was a freshman in high school, he marched on trumpet at Northeast Guilford and continued marching throughout his college career as part of North Carolina A&T’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine. 

He says that he fell in love with marching because of its competitive atmosphere and the way it helps create lifelong friendships and experiences.

Now, as the band director at Southwest Guilford High School, his goal is to provide the same opportunities for his own students.

“I’m here for them to grow,” says Brailsford, who started directing at the school on Aug. 29 of last year. “I’ve already done what I’ve wanted to do with myself. Now I’m just here to be a resource for them and help them reach the best versions of themselves, reaching heights that they never knew they could achieve before.”

When Brailsford first came to Southwest Guilford High School last year, the school’s marching band only had 15 students. Most of them had quit after being without a director for more than two months. Now, more than eight months on the job, the school’s band has about 90 participants, and Brailsford anticipates that the group will continue to grow.

On April 26, Brailsford’s students and others from surrounding high schools performed in the inaugural High Point Classic Battle of the Bands. The event was hosted by Christian Kornegay, known as CDK, a host on 102 Jamz and Brailsford’s former bandmate of A&T’s marching band. This is the first competition Southwest’s Marvelous Marching Cowboys has participated in since getting a new director.

Brailsford plans on using proceeds from the event to buy more uniforms and instruments to support the band’s growth. He also plans on using funds to travel as the band program continues. 

“The teacher we had before didn’t have that much passion for the marching band,” says Aleyda Blanco-Reyna, 17, a junior who’s been marching at Southwest since the 7^th grade. “The fact that he came here with all this love for the band and wanted to share it with other students, I think that’s really what got us to be more motivated.”

Blanco-Reyna plays the second chair trumpet during the marching season but sits first chair in the school’s jazz ensemble. She’s been anxiously awaiting her performance for Battle of the Bands. She says that students from other schools have been taunting her via social media about how much better other schools would perform. She’s even overheard conversations from her own classmates saying the school was soon to be embarrassed by the outcomes of this event.

“I know our band isn’t at the same levels as Andrews from what I’ve been hearing, but I know that for years to come we’re going to improve, and I want people to keep that in mind,” she says.

“Some people think this is our peak, but it’s not. We’re going to grow, and I want people to know that because we want people to be proud of the band…. We’re the life of the party like Mr. B says.” 

As family, friends, students and staff of the schools — Southwest Guilford, High Point Central, TW Andrews and Lexington Senior — gathered to cheer on the bands, excitement built up throughout the halls at Southwest Guilford.

Each band played songs to highlight the students’ melodic and technical playing capabilities in a total of nine rounds, including a drumline and dance team feature. Tensions built up between bands as the night progressed and the bands played tunes at each other from across the gym. Most of the rivalry displayed was between Andrews and High Point Central whose players sat across each other on the floor.

As some of Andrews’ dancers entered the arena, they made their jabs at the other performers.

“Let’s wipe the floor with these [girls],” one of the dancers exclaimed to her team. 

In the stands, band alumni from the various schools and nearby colleges also showed their support for the students and directors who they marched with or against in the past.

“I feel like it was important to host the Battle of the Bands because I understand not only how to play, but what these students are going through and how much practice it takes,” says Kornegay, who started marching band his freshman year at Southeast Raleigh High school on the euphonium. Like Kornegay, Cordell Moore, the director of the Andrews Red Radio of Sound, also marched at A&T as a student.

As for the outcome of the competition, who won depends on who you ask. Like in many Battle of the Band competitions, there’s no official winner, just bragging rights. Instead, viewers are left to debate amongst themselves who their favorite is. 

But if you ask Brailsford, his answer is clear. As his band completed their final song, he threw the cowboy hat he was wearing into the air, smiling all the while.

“I think my kids did great; half of the battle is just showing up,” Brailsford says after the competition. “I am extremely proud of them. Although it was great and I am proud, we are far from satisfied. There is much more work to be done; there’s always room for improvement. We don’t believe in being content.”

And with that, he walked off, ready to prepare for another season.