As most fans know, the Smithville Tiger Band is a big part of Tiger football.
It can even be said that without the band, the whole experience of Friday night football would not be as exciting.
According to band director Wayne King, who is entering his 13th year at Smithville High School, this year the band is playing music from the musical “West Side Story,” which he said is a big hit.
“It’s such good music and it’s been about seven years since we used ‘West Side Story,’ so it’s definitely a change,” King said.
There is also a new drum major — senior Matt Swartz — and King said Swartz has already done a great job leading the band.
“He’s such a bright student and will always drop anything he is doing to help someone,” King said.
King said that there is a great deal in store for the Tiger Band this year because it’s an “advancement year,” where members have a chance at competing at the regional level.
The band will begin competing against other schools on Saturday, Oct. 2, when it will march in the Capital City Marching Contest at the Burger Stadium in Austin.
“We will be competing with 4A schools, so it will definitely be a challenge,” King said.
Two weeks after it competes in Austin, the band will head to Giddings on Saturday, Oct. 16 for the UIL Regional Marching Contest, which King said he is most looking forward to.
King said there will be other competitions throughout the year, including one at SHS, where individuals all over Central Texas can compete.
There will also be parades, like Jamboree, where the Tiger Band will have a chance to show off their talents and have some fun.
And who could leave out the end-of-the-year trip to Port Aransas?
“We are very traditional about what we do – we do all kinds of really quirky things that make us the Tiger Band,” King said.