CALL THEM “ONE BAND, ONE SOUND,” OR THE PITTSBURGH ALL CITY HIGH SCHOOLS MARCHING BAND…EITHER WAY, THE STUDENTS MADE A BIG IMPACT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND CONTINUE TO DO SO IN PITTSBURGH TODAY.
On a rainy Memorial Day Monday, May 29, 2023, high school student bands came from everywhere to perform in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
They came from places like Kaysville, Utah; Raleigh, N.C.; Santa Clarita, Calif.; Deland, Fla…
…And Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Not to be left out, roughly 70 students in grades 7-12, along with about 10 chaperones and band directors, traveled from Pittsburgh to D.C. to represent the city and Pittsburgh Public Schools, proudly marching in the parade in front of tens of thousands down Constitution Avenue.
And, as it turns out, that valiant act has lit a spark into marching bands throughout the city, and it has more parents thinking about marching band as an activity for their current or future high school students.
“It teaches you discipline,” said Aisha Sharif-Lucas, the longtime band director for Pittsburgh Obama Academy, in East Liberty, about being in a band. Sharif-Lucas said marching band also teaches students collaboration, teamwork, musicianship and perseverance.
SOME OF THE “ONE BAND, ONE SOUND” MEMBERS. ALSO PICTURED ARE MELVIN HUBBARD EL (BLACK HAT, SUNGLASSES) AND OBAMA ACADEMY MARCHING BAND DIRECTOR AISHA SHARIF-LUCAS (WEARING A ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY INC., SWEATER).
In a steady rain, the PPS students marched under the name, “One Band, One Sound,” a collaborative effort between three bands that were combined —Obama, Brashear and Allderdice—to form the unified front that represented Pittsburgh and the school district.
Since that day, the band has performed at a number of events in Pittsburgh, including at HBCU events for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates, and during a parade Downtown that brought light to children who are displaced.
SHOWTIME—“ONE BAND, ONE SOUND” PERFORMS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
The positive reaction that “One Band, One Sound” received from their performances has helped to breathe new life into the marching band programs at Westinghouse High School and Perry Traditional Academy. Sharif-Lucas told the New Pittsburgh Courier that Obama Academy and Perry teamed up to perform at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, since the “One Band, One Sound” performance in D.C.
Melvin Hubbard El, a longtime community advocate and recently-retired community liaison for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, told the Courier that the National Memorial Day Parade committee contacted the city about having a band represent the city in the parade. El, who played in the Westinghouse marching band as a trumpeter between 1967-1969, contacted Sharif-Lucas about the possibility of combining some of the PPS bands. Sharif-Lucas, together with the band directors of Allderdice and Brashear, Brian Lee and Todd Bushyager, respectively, held about three practices together with all the students, and off they went to Washington, D.C. The City of Pittsburgh raised the funds for the students and chaperones to go, including hotel stay.
“It was hard to combine the different styles of marching bands and come out with a unified product,” Sharif-Lucas told the Courier. “It was nice to have such a successful outcome presented to the world. It was on a world stage. We represented our district really well.”
Sharif-Lucas recalled the days when PPS would have the All-City Marching Band competitions, or when combined bands were just referred to as the Pittsburgh All-City High Schools Marching Band. In fact, when the students went to D.C., the banner the students held had the “Pittsburgh All-City High Schools Marching Band” plastered on it, along with the district logo. On the international television/Internet feed when the band was showcased, the band played an uptempo version of “God Bless America.”
Bands from Pittsburgh Public Schools have always played an important role in the city. In decades past, one couldn’t go Downtown Pittsburgh and watch, say, the Labor Day Parade without seeing the bands from the likes of Schenley, Peabody and others. They were a driving force at football games, and the pride the band’s musical power elicited was felt from the West End to the North Side, from the South Side to Homewood.
Those like Sharif-Lucas and El hope that PPS bands can get back to that level of the past, and they’re both excited to see Westinghouse and Perry making forward steps in their respective marching bands. Students in the district’s bands are excited about where they’ll play next, and most importantly, students are giving “marching band” as a whole, high marks.
“Going to D.C. for these kids was a great experience,” Sharif-Lucas said. “Because our bands are so small, they really didn’t have an idea of what it’s like to be in a real, functioning, large band comparable to the suburban schools. One Band, One Sound gave them that feeling that this is what a band is supposed to be.”