Fall sports aren’t the only activities conducting practices this week. With the UIL’s approval for Class A-4A extracurricular events to go on as scheduled, for the most part, marching bands are beginning to find their footing again as well.

Fall camp continued Wednesday for Brownwood’s Mighty Maroon Marching Band, where practices look a little different than what has been witnessed during sports practices thus far.

“It’s wonderful to get to see the kids,” said Brownwood High School Band Director David Lambert. “It has been four and a half months and I don’t think I can ever remember a time when I haven’t seen my kids in four and a half months as a band. We’re all just thankful that we’re back out here together.”

With 140 kids signed up for band, and 130 having attended thus far, band members have been separated into various groups during practice sessions.

“This week we’re not having full band rehearsals, we’re not having all 140 with us at the same time so that we can social distance and adhere to all the procedures and guidelines,” Lambert said. “We’re having different groups come out at different times throughout the day, sometimes they’re marching and sometimes they’re inside working on their music in sectionals. We’re following the guidelines, staying six feet apart, wearing our masks when we’re supposed to and trying to learn our band music and how to march.”

Student groups – including band, cheerleaders, dance teams, etc. – are being allowed to participate at football games in the fall. For home games, the full contingent of the Mighty Maroon Marching Band will be in attendance and perform.

“Right now I know we’re all going to be at home games and we’re working on a procedure for out of town games,” Lambert said. “All the specifics we’ll have out later. We’re working to make sure the kids are safe and that we can perform at the football games, and we’re excited to support the Lions.”

With the opportunity to play at home games at the very least, the entire band will begin rehearsing its performance next week.

“The guidelines say if we’re six feet apart we can play together outside,” Lambert said. “For marching band, when we do our regular four-step interval it’s actually seven and a half feet apart, so we’re more than social distancing when we play our instruments outside.”

Lambert stated that due to another UIL guideline, the band’s performance the first two games of the season will look different than it will as the season progresses.

“The UIL has put out a mandate that we cannot start our contest-type show until the third football game, after Sept. 8,” Lambert said. “We’re not allowed to learn our marching for that show, so we’ll do a fun show like we do during playoff games for the first two football games”

The dates for marching band contests have not been finalized, Lambert added.

“Those are changing as we speak,” Lambert said. “We do not have dates for those yet because of COVID-19, they’re working on that but they will be much later in the year I believe. But it’s nice that they’re giving us more time to get ready.”