The Hope band’s 2024 season has been decorated with trophies and applause from football fans. As Hope Bands director Chris Davis told the Lions Club Monday, “We’ve had a very long season. It’s almost done. We’ve been to Bryant. We’ve been to the Power Band Classic at Lake Hamilton. We went to the Battle for the Spear at Winnsboro. We went to Midland, Texas to participate in the Bands of America regional, where the band actually excelled. We’re were Class A champion.”
The success continued at their most recent contest. “We went to regionals this last Tuesday. We got all superior ratings from every single judge, which is the highest rating we get. This is kind of like our state assessment,” Davis explained. “So, if you want to think of it as a letter-grade, we're an A band, according to the state. The kids are doing fantastic.”
The Hope band, known this year for their “Penguin Wonderland” show, numbers about 85 members at the high school level, with over 300 students involved districtwide. “We keep growing, keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Davis said. "Right now we have about 77 seventh graders." Those students would join the high school band in two years.
Davis’s leadership style is as much about life lessons as it is about music. “They’re making beautiful music every single day, and they’re making memories that’ll last, and they’re becoming good human beings that will be great…to function in society,” he said before revealing one of the keystones for their success. “Kids still thrive off structure, and you’re not going to get any more structure in a public school setting than band.”
The program’s ambition has taken students beyond Arkansas. “A highlight of the year was the trip to the Dallas Aquarium, where students saw penguins and other marine life, tying into the band’s ‘Penguin Wonderland’ show theme." Davis said that this was the first time most of his students had seen such a thing. Another educational experience of travelling to contest derives from seeing the performances of bands from Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
But logistical hurdles remain, as Davis admitted, pertaining to the practical realities of outfitting and equipping a growing band. “We have school uniforms on the way. We ordered about 150 of them…after we shaved some prices down and got cheaper rates. But each uniform goes for about $1,000 now, and you can’t buy them at Walmart. A lot are made of wool. We got some very, very nice ones, old-school traditional that way they’re going to last a very long time,” he said. He also cited the importance of support from boosters and community sponsors. “My philosophy is that we should not let money be a reason why somebody doesn’t involve themselves in music, because music makes people better human beings," Davis said.
He credits Hope’s Band Boosters with helping to bridge the financial gap. “They supplement everything the school does not. So, hotels, food for the kids so they can get some food on the way, clinicians — we brought in clinicians from Louisiana this year. They’re going to handle hotel, they get their food and stuff like that.” Clinicians with experience directing their own bands provide Davis and the students with feedback that is used to refine the quality of the show.
Davis said another big challenge is inspiring the next generation of members. “Right now we’re great, but right now we’re trying to teach the kids that we’re trying to shift gears and become a legacy now, meaning seniors, you’re not doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for the freshmen. Freshmen, you’re doing it for the sixth graders, and I want them to be a part of the legacy and to get to that next level."
Community support, he said, remains crucial. “We have a lot of alumni, kids that were in the Superband back years ago, that have come out of the woodwork and [are] supporting this band the way they can. The Lions Club always donated to them and always helped them…And I think we need to continue supporting our local band.”
The band’s immediate needs range from more reliable transportation for equipment — “We have to use three U-Haul trucks and a box truck to haul all their equipment, uniforms, everything for this size band." Lions members suggested the band needs a large 18-wheel trailer that can be retrofitted for its uses in travelling to contests.
Through it all, Davis’s passion for his students and music education is still readily seen after half a decade in his role. “I love talking about my band, and if it wasn’t for time commitment, I could be here for another three hours. It’s like I don’t work any day of the week. I just have fun every single day.”