If most Chamblee students were asked what happens on Friday nights in North DeKalb stadium, they would probably answer something along the lines of “football games,” but for the Chamblee Marching Bulldogs, a better answer might be “a performance.” The Chamblee Marching Bulldogs are Chamblee High School’s marching band; like the football team, they too spend Friday nights on duty.
During football games, the band can be seen playing stunes (stand tunes) in the stands and performing on the field during halftime, but their weekly commitments don’t stop there.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we’re in the band room from 3:45 to 4:45; we have a 15-minute transition period, and then we’re on the field from 5:00 to 6:30 practicing our movements for the halftime show,” said Jackson Hudnall (‘27). “In the band room, we play the halftime show music, but we’re also learning and practicing stand tunes that we play later.”
The marching band also includes a section of members who don’t play any music at all: the Chamblee Color Guard. Ronit Nemenman (‘26) is entering her fourth and final season on the color guard this year.
“Freshman year, I wanted a PE credit, and it was the only sport that I knew of that didn’t have a tryout process,” said Nemenman. “I joined it and I just fell in love with the sport. I’ve stayed for the community, especially the other people in color guard.”
Kirsten Gabriel (‘26) is the marching band’s drum major; she helps run rehearsals and she conducts the band. Her story of joining the marching band is different from Nemenman’s, but her reasons for staying are much the same.
“I actually joined late in my freshman year because our director asked me to fill in for someone [who] quit. I watched one rehearsal and knew that I wanted to be apart of it; I ended up getting way more involved in the music program as a whole,” said Gabriel. “My reason for staying was definitely the community. The people that I’ve become friends with, just being a part of something, and being more involved with music are the best parts. I really found it to kind of be my place.”
For returning members, this season of marching band has a notable difference: a new band director. Since the previous band director, Ms. Colleen Marin, left CHS last year, she has been replaced this year by Mr. Preston Ridgell.
“I am the one that’s in charge of getting everything logistically together,” said Ridgell, “whether that is transportation from events, music for the students, drill as far as the formations on the field, basically everything that the students need to be able to perform their show.”
Many of the returning student musicians have a relatively positive impression of Ridgell.
“I think Mr. Ridgell’s doing great and I think everybody else thinks he’s doing great too,” said Gabriel. “We have a lot more structure to rehearsals and to the band classes. I think that he’s really helping the program get to a good spot where we can grow both in talent and in numbers.”
Many share this positive outlook of the new band director, including Jeremiah Gramlich (‘27). Gramlich is returning for his third year in the marching band and beginning his first year as Drum Line section leader; he helps make sure practice runs smoothly for his section and helps out members when needed.
“Personally, I love this year more than my past two years because our show’s original, and it just feels like a way different environment,” said Gramlich. “Ms. Marin also didn’t really know much about percussion compared to Mr. Ridgell’s previous knowledge. He has helped me out a lot.”
Other returning students have had a different experience with the new changes to the marching band administration.
“We have a lot less practices, so we’re moving at a slower pace, but that’s to be expected. It’s a transition year,” said Nemenman. “The show’s not my favorite, but again, it’s a transition year. It’s gonna be worse than the other years, but it’s still gonna be better than anything that I would’ve expected my freshman year.”
Ridgell taught marching band before coming to Chamblee as well; he noted that the Chamblee Marching Band environment has a more positive aura surrounding the community.
“There’s really no drama happening in the band, which I’ve never experienced in all my years of teaching,” said Ridgell. “That’s an oddity, especially considering band kids. They get along well with each other. They’re also fairly hardworking. I think they’re still learning about certain aspects of marching band, but it’s a great group of kids.”
Although marching band comes with many positives, it is certainly not without challenges for its members.
“It can be really frustrating if some people are slacking off because I’m doing my best to make sure everyone is putting in enough effort,” said Gabriel. “Also, sometimes it can get really frustrating if you’re struggling with a certain aspect of the show, and there’s nobody available or prepared to help you, but typically there are people who can help you out.”
Many members, especially newer ones, have also faced struggles with the practice environment and the schedule.
“Some of the challenges are that I’m always tired, there’s a long schedule… and [I get] dehydrated,” said Lucy Dillon (‘28), a first-year player. “If I could, I would make it so the sun goes away. Just no sun ever. No sun. We don’t need that.”
Another challenge for the marching band over the years has been maintaining a steady participation from the students.
“We had 56 people last year and 24 of them graduated, so we thought the band was going to be really small this year, but we ended up getting enough people to join so that we’re still at 52 people,” said Gabriel. “Even though that’s pretty small, I’m still super happy that that’s where we are, and that’s where we can grow from.”
Despite all of the challenges that come with being a marching band member, it is still highly recommended by its participants.
“Absolutely join. We need more people. We need to be loud to compete with all these large bands,” said Dillon. “Also, band is just really fun. It’s worth joining.”
For those who may be considering joining, Gabriel has suggestions for how to non-commitally try out the Marching Bulldogs.
“It is an absolutely fantastic experience,” said Gabriel. “I think that if you want to join, just come by a rehearsal to see how we run things. You can go to a game and see how we manage students, how it is being in the stands, and how we get ready for the show. That is absolutely, totally okay. We had a kid come with us to a game two weeks ago and he ended up joining. If you don’t want to immediately start off by committing to the entire season, I absolutely suggest just coming to watch a rehearsal, watch a game, see how it works, and see how you feel. That’s exactly what I did and I ended up joining.”
