Henderson Collegiate's Pride of Sound rebuilding after COVID

Apr. 23—HENDERSON — Band Director Clayton Griffin has taught the music program at Henderson Collegiate for three years, dedicating his first year to planning how to expand the school's music program, and strengthen its foundation.

"It started off good, started building traction and getting our name out," Griffin said. "Students started to love band and got invested in it."

But then, COVID-19 hit.

"It was going. It was going. Then March happened," Griffin said. "It really put a halt on band."

The pandemic was difficult, since students were becoming more invested in the program. Students still attended school asynchronously, though "it's not the same as being in the band room, putting air through the instruments."

Now that the pandemic is mostly over, he hopes the band can "regain traction" lost during COVID.

The band, called Pride of Sound as a play on the school's Pride nickname, has around 90 members, including winds, drumline and auxiliary, or color guard. However, only the drumline and color guard are able to perform at events like the Black History Month Parade in Durham on April 9, or at basketball games. At the moment, the winds, the brass and woodwind sections, are not quite performance ready, Griffin said. Many of them haven't played an instrument for a while, thanks to COVID. He hopes to perform with a full marching band in the future.

"It's challenging, but they're accepting of that challenge," Griffin said. "They're pushing themselves. I'm really proud of them."

Some members bring their own from home, but it's not required in order to participate. Henderson Collegiate furnishes most of the instruments that the band uses.

Through fundraising, Griffin hopes the school can acquire more instruments to accommodate more members, as many students express interest in joining. The group will hold a fundraising car wash on April 30 at the Advance Auto Parts at 400 Prosperity Drive. In the past, students sold popcorn in the school to raise money.

"The big plan is to have a hundred students," the director said, "a hundred students loving music and pushing themselves musically."

Beyond that, he hopes to bring the Pride to more parades and to participate in competitions like Battle of the Bands. Now that COVID seems mostly to have passed, his goals are closer to fruition.

"The way things are trending, it looks like that'll be the case," Griffin said, "so I'm just pushing for it and hoping for the best."

So far the Pride plays popular tunes, songs you'd hear on the radio. College marching bands do the same. This was a deliberate decision, Griffin said, so that the high schoolers can more easily fit into a college band if they choose to continue their musical career while pursuing higher education. The students approve, and frequently ask their director for new music and cadences to play.

"My phone is always blowing up" with suggestions and musical requests from the students, Griffin said.

"It all stems from the students. It's their level of investment," Griffin said. "Their commitment, their dedication — it's what makes it fun and rewarding."