Putting in countless hours of work for an eight-minute show. That’s what the DeKalb County marching band did over the summer, putting in sweat equity to create the best show possible.

“All that work for just an eight-minute show,” said director Tracy Luna. “Some people may think we are kind of crazy.”

The 2018 band broke camp the week before school began after honing its skills in both the band room and under the sweltering summer heat of the practice field.

“They have learned much and grown as part of the band,” Luna said of the two-week band camp, noting he is fielding a young group that will not only be performing at half-time of Tiger games but will also be competing in contests across the state. “We have 36 kids marching, both high school and middle school and 14 of them are brand new marchers.”

Luna noted that the band will continuing cleaning up the show as the competitive season arrives. “We travel competitively throughout the season in order to showcase,” he said.

With the help of new assistant director Jonathan Owens, Luna is excited to present this year’s show which features music from Phantom of the Opera.

“We are excited about what this year will bring for us, both in fellowship and competitively in the band world,” Luna said.

Video highlights from the last day of band camp can be found at www.smithvillereview.com in the multimedia section.