Chicago Rallies to Send Morgan Park High Marching Band to Prestigious Jackson State Battle of the Bands

CHICAGO (WLS) — In just a few days, the Morgan Park High School marching band will make their way to a prestigious battle of the bands at Jackson State University in Mississippi.

This journey seemed improbable at one point due to financial constraints. However, thanks to the unwavering support of parents and the local community, the band will proudly compete.

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The sound of drums and horns echoed as the Morgan Park High School Band of Distinction fine-tuned their performance, ensuring every note was perfect.

Band Director Everett Newchurch is diligently preparing his students for the upcoming intense competition. For Newchurch, this trip holds personal significance.

An alumnus of Jackson State, Newchurch played the trumpet in their marching band. He is eager for his students to experience life on a college campus, just as he once did.

“It is, for a lot of our students, the first time getting out of the city of Chicago, leaving the South Side, leaving the state,” Newchurch said.

The band has played at venues across the city, but traveling to Mississippi comes with a hefty price tag, according to Carmen Holiday. Her daughter, Victoria, plays trombone in the band.

“Our goal is $50,000. There’s travel, there’s uniform maintenance, it’s instrument maintenance,” Holiday said.

Holiday and other band parents launched a fundraising campaign which, so far, has raised nearly $20,000. That meant the trip, which looked iffy at first, was on.

That’s a relief for student Kamille O’Bryant.

“It would be a great experience for us to get to see how a college band operates,” O’Bryant said.

Student Xion Wilson says he is looking forward to meeting members of the Jackson State Sonic Boom.

“I felt like if people were motivated enough to do it, we could eventually go. And now, I see that’s true,” Wilson said.

Holiday says it is true thanks to the kindness of people who donate to their fundraiser.

“It just reminds us that community is there. They are listening and they do care,” Holiday said.

A total of 40 out of the band’s 75 students are going to the competition. Newchurch hopes to afford to take them all next year.