TV 20 Awards Funds to BHS Marching Band Color Guard

All you compulsive voters out there who helped the Berkley High School Marching Band take number one in the MY TV 20 Marching Band award will see the $1,000 put to colorful use this fall.

BHS Band Director Alan Posner says the money awarded by TV20 in sponsorship with Xfinity and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, is being used to fund a color guard, something the band has not had in more than five years.

“We currently have 16 in color guard and have been rehearsing for a couple weeks,” says Posner. “The color guard adds to our ‘general effect.’ The group will make the band seem even larger while adding a positive visual aspect to the performance.”

Posner estimates that nearly 90 percent of all high school bands in Michigan have a color guard or some form of non-musical visual element. The color guard gives students a chance to be a part of the band even if they don't play an instrument, though Posner states that color guard will be learning instrumentation for a portion of the semester. 

Holly Vollmar, a Berkley resident and music student at Wayne State University, is rehearsing with color guard once a week. No word yet on what the program will be for the Marching Band this fall, but color guard and drumline are already rehearsing weekly, and full Marching Band camp will begin August 12.

Posner thanked all the voters who helped make this possible. TV20 also donated “rally towels,” which were distributed to students and faculty at the Snowcoming pep assembly earlier this month.