In years present and past North Atlanta’s marching band has been a high achieving group. This program is under the leadership of Adam Brooks, who is the heart and soul of the band and was awarded North Atlanta’s Teacher of the Year for 2012-2013.

Brooks’ passion for music began much in the same way that his students’ did. A French horn player by trade, he has studied with multiple esteemed professors, including Donovan Wells, director of bands at Bethune-Cookman, James Poitier, associate director of bands at Bethune-Cookman, and William Rogan, world-renowned horn performer and instructor. “I vividly remember the middle school band and orchestra visiting my middle school. I’ve been hooked ever since,” said Brooks.

His commitment to the school and his students has proven influential, as the band continues to extensively grow. “Last year, we almost didn’t have a marching band,” said sophomore piccolo player Vivian Ready.

“Reclamation” is the band’s theme this year. “It’s all about re-establishing our spot as the top marching band in metro Atlanta area,” said drum major Ereantae’ Poole.

Last year’s marching band numbered around 30 members, which was a considerable drop off from past year’s strength. Brooks cited the positive reality that this year’s marching band numbers more than 60. “We’re on an upward trend and a lot of this is because of growth we’ve seen in our freshmen numbers,” he said.

This year, the band is stronger than last year, with a concert schedule that spans from September 19th to graduation day in May. The band prominently marched before thousands of people at the Oct. 15 Little Five Points Halloween Parade.

The marching band may have struggled in years past with participation, but with a new spirit and new members they are sure to march past their goals. It was clear to see in the opening football game against Grady High School, the magnitude of the difference between our band and Grady’s relatively small marching band. Where football is concerned, we may not have shown them up in the lopsided game. But where bands were concerned, the Warriors marched all over Grady.