Business As Usual At UC Band Camp–And That's A Good Thing

By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
 
Union City, Tenn.–Preparations for a new school year always coincide with band camp at Union City High School.
 
This year was no different – and that’s a good thing, according to director Jason Deem.
 
“Except for a couple of things, it was just business as usual and pretty much ike the last several camps,” said Deem, who is beginning his third season as the leader of the award-winning band and 15^th with the program in all. “We’ve gotten into a good routine where the kids know what to expect from me and what we need to have done by certain time periods.”
 
Last year was another decorated competition season for the Purple and Gold, as UC brought home considerable hardware from several competitions. Among those accolades was winning the overall championship in the West Tennessee Band Championships at UT Martin.
 
Union City completed its year by competing in the BOA Grand National Championships in Indianapolis.
 
This year’s 125-member Golden Tornado marching band just completed its annual two-week ritual of camp that lasted from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., with a couple of well-timed breaks each day. Work was done both inside and outside on this year’s show, which is entitled “Inside These Walls.”
 
Deem, assistant director Ryan Wilkerson, color guard leader Laney Rogers and the rest of the UCHS staff began the actual process of putting together this year’s performance in November of last year before adding the finishing touches on the show in mid-March.
 
The UC contingent worked with a new set of writers and drill team this year, one of the few changes for the program and veteran director in the offseason.
 
“That’s always a little different when you change those two areas, but it’s gone smoothly and I’m pleased,” he said. “There’s always a feeling-out process and coming to terms with each other’s expectations.
 
“We have a sign up in the bandhouse though, a quote from (University of Tennessee women’s basketball coaching legend) Pat Summitt that says: ‘Sometimes, change is necessary.’ And I believe this change has been good for our program so far.”
 
As usual, the band is at the mercy of Mother Nature, who didn’t necessarily cooperate last year when weather canceled the annual UC Invitational and a handful of make-up attempts at giving the locals a complete exhibition performance look.
 
At least the start of this year has been good, as preseason camp – though hot – was not as miserable condition-wise as past years.
 
“The cooler temperatures helped, yeah,” Deem agreed. “The kids have always worked hard, and this year was no exception. You always feel like you can get a little extra out of them when the heat isn’t so draining.”
 
Union City will again compete at multiple venues this year, including the Festival of Champions at Murray State in late September; The Bands of America Super Regional in St. Louis and the Mid-South Marching Invitational at Austin Peay in October; and the Contest of Champions at Middle Tennessee State University in early November.
 
Fans will get a sneak peek into a portion of the show in a couple of weeks when the band performs at the Union City-Milan Football Jamboree, Aug. 16.
 
Deem said he expects the full show to be fully installed in September.
 
“We’ve always measured success here by asking the kids if they have a sense of achievement when they walk off the field every day and after every performance,” he concluded. “There’s always a little pressure because of the success this program has had over the years to put the product out there at the highest level.
 
“We’re so blessed and fortunate, though, to have the administration that we do that supports us unconditionally. From (UC Schools Director) Mr. (Wes) Kennedy, to (Assistant Schools Director) Mr. (Michael Paul) Miller to (UCHS principal) Mr. (Jacob) Cross, I’d venture to say there’s not another band we see that has the backing nor is allowed to do the things we do.”