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The purpose of the Southside High School band program is to provide an opportunity for students interested in continuing to grow in their musicianship skills past middle school. The program serves 9th – 12th grade students, and consists of the marching band, a symphonic band, a wind ensemble, and several smaller chamber groups. The band program has given students the opportunity to travel all over the United States and to perform in venues and events they would not ordinarily be able to do. In the last 6 years, the band has performed in Philadelphia at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, in San Antonio, Texas, as the “Fiesta Flambeau” Parade, and in Orlando at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Parade through Mainstreet USA. In 2014, the band was invited by the Lord Mayor of London to perform in the 2015 New Year’s Day Parade, However, due to financial limitations, the band was not able to accept their gracious invitation. . In addition, the Southside Wind Ensemble was selected as one of only four high school bands to perform at the 2018 Alabama Music Educator’s In-Service Conference. In 2019, the band was one of seven high school bands from the great state of Alabama selected to march in the Alabama Bi-Centennial Parade in December. Also, the band marched in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade in March. The PRIDE has earned 33 years of consecutive superior ratings at both marching and concert contests.
The band continues to grow each year. In 2013, the band had only 72 members in grades 9-12. In 2019, the band had 131 members in grades 9-12. 2020 was a challenging year for the band due to COVID-19. Many of our students chose virtual learning so our numbers were down to 115. However, the band is expected to grow again next year.
The Southside High School band program, and all its ensembles, perform many community service projects throughout the year. Every year, the Wind Ensemble gives a free concert at the Southside Community Center for their Senior Citizen group. The band also went Christmas Caroling for two nights in the Greater-Gadsden area.
The Southside High Schools Band’s primary financial support comes from their fundraising efforts. Although band feeds are collected at the beginning of each school year, these funds go into the operational budget, which pays for instructional staff, music, instrument repairs, and other classroom needs.
The Pride Music Association serves as the booster organization for the band. We provide transportation of instruments to and from performances. We clean all uniforms between performances. We also feed the band and provide water for some performances. The Pride Music Asosciation also helps in the purchasing of the equipment used to transport the instruments to and from performances.