The Liberty BDC’s show “Home” takes its audience on a musical journey of finding one’s home through the tribulations of life. It features the music “A House is Not a Home” by Dionne Warwick and “You Will Be Found” from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.
Band instructor Jason Armistead said his students practice 15 hours a week to make sure their drill, music and choreography are perfect.
“Our main goal is always to be better than we were yesterday,” Armistead, who has been band director for seven years, said. “To see their faces when they were announced in first place and then again as tournament champion was pure joy for me. Nothing makes me prouder than watching my students’ hard work recognized.” Armistead says he is grateful for the support of his students’ parents.
“We could not achieve any of the success we have without our Liberty BDC parents,” he said. “We have a culture of family in the band that extends to all of the parents, guardians, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more who come out and help us. We have 30-50 parents with us everywhere we go and they help us with our uniforms, feeding the band at competitions, pushing equipment on and off the field and just making sure our kids are taken care of. They are simply amazing.”
The Liberty BDC has 91 students in the program, with 79 in band and percussion and 12 in the guard. They are led on the field by Drum Majors Julian Gabion and Hyrum Woolsey. Percussion Captains are Dillon Weldin, Jared Gabio and Brooklyn Wood. Colorguard Captains are Brooklynne Adkins, Serenity Rubinol and Abagail Pressler. Band President is Cassie Reed. Percussion band staff are Nathaniel Ferrell-Ventolieri and Fernando Vazquez. Colorguard staff are Megan Romero, Shi Drake and Jacob Ames.