The Swainsboro Band of Gold performed in Savannah at the Hyatt Regency Hotel for the Georgia School Boards Association Summer Convention on June 7. Lindy Sikes, director of bands at SHS, had been contacted two years prior about the opportunity.
“I was contacted by the GSBA folks about the Band of Gold providing entertainment for the convention, and to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect,” Sikes said. “At first, I thought we were going to take the concert band. But after many discussions about how the room would be set up for the convention, I realized we couldn’t take the whole band.”
Discussions continued for several months, primarily regarding room capacity limitations by fire codes. The ballroom would have over six hundred attendees, and the stage was quite small. Sikes suggested it might be better to use the marching band because they could stand around the room as opposed to being seated.
“I told them we had 85 members in the marching band, and they said it couldn’t be done,” Sikes said. “They asked if we could have 40 members, and I said we could make that work. Then, I received an email a couple of weeks later, and they said 20 is all we could have.
“I knew I would have to do some creative assignments to make it work, but I received another email the week before the performance with the full agenda, and it just so happened that the day we performed had been declared School Spirit Day. This was perfect because we definitely know how to do a pep rally!”
What made this performance even more special was the fact that the Band of Gold had been specifically requested by Valarie Wilson, GSBA executive director. Wilson is a Swainsboro High School alumna and was in the band while in high school, playing the saxophone.
“I was beaming with pride as they performed for the group,” said Wilson. “We have received nothing but rave reviews for their performance. Thank you to every member of the Band of Gold for agreeing to get up early and come down; it meant so much more because it was my hometown and the band I was once a part of!”
On the day of the performance, the students got something akin to rockstar treatment. They had to be in Savannah at 6:30 a.m. to rehearse. After rehearsal, they were taken to a green room where they were treated to food and refreshments. During the performance, the audience stood and clapped along with the songs.
“I couldn’t have been more proud of the students,” said Sikes. “They performed wonderfully, and the audience was very responsive to us. They gave us a standing ovation and high-fived us as we left the room! I’m glad we had the opportunity to represent Swainsboro and the Emanuel County area to such a large group of people from all over the state. It was a wonderful experience for the students.” © Copyright 2024 The Forest-Blade/Emanuel County Live
