By Kevin Shannahan

Dancing, flag twirling, marching and music were the order of the day as 20 high school bands with over 1,500 musicians and families from every corner of Louisiana as well as East Texas converged on Northwestern State University’s Turpin stadium for the 2024 Classic on the Cane High School Band Competition Saturday, November 2. The competition, a longtime tradition among band programs in Louisiana and elsewhere, is in its 35th year. The Classic on the Cane is a superb opportunity for the bands to showcase their abilities and spend a day in friendly competition with fellow musicians.

This year’s event had a notable addition to the competitive field. The NCHS “Pride of the Tribe”, 65 members strong, made its first scored appearance at the competition since 2004. They played at last year’s event, but only in exhibition. The Chiefs have made notable strides under 3rd year director Cody Thurber and assistant directors Emmaleigh Toney and Alex Cormier. Ms. Toney, a 2022 NSU alumna, is also in charge of the band’s auxiliary units. The band’s halftime performances at NCHS home football games have been superb and their show at the band competition was likewise well done. Their hard work and dedication set the example for the young men and women in their charge. The NCHS Pride of the Tribe took to the field with drums beating and performed a “Phantom of the Opera” themed show. The only first time competitors at the event, the Chiefs earned a respectable 2 for percussion, 2 for Auxiliary and 3 for band. Go Chiefs!

Each marching band gave a half-time type performance and was graded on several factors relating to marching, performing and musicality. The east side of Turpin stadium was packed end to end with the band members’ families and supporters who enthusiastically waved signs and cheered their favorite bands.

The NSU Spirit of Northwestern band gave the last performance of the evening, a high energy performance that drew repeated applause from the crowd. It is a sign of both NSU’s excellence and service to our state that many of the band directors at the competition are NSU alumni.

The Classic on the Cane has been a fixture of the high school marching band scene for the past 35 years. The Natchitoches Parish Journal is looking forward to seeing some of the superb young musicians at the competition coming to NSU to continue their education. We are looking forward to next year’s contest!

The Kiwanis Club of Natchitoches recently visited with Cody Thurber, the band director at Natchitoches Central High School, who shared insights on how being part of the band goes beyond music, molding students for success in the real world with passion. Joined by one of his talented students, they highlighted the positive impact of band on personal growth. Mr. Thurber’s ambitious goals for the future include securing new uniforms for the NCHS “Pride of the Tribe.” Let’s rally together and show our support for our vibrant community! 

MANY, La - CONGRATS to the pride of the tribe on an EXCELLENT performance over the weekend at the Many high school marching competition! 

For their field show, The band, Flagline, and percussion all received ratings of 2. The flag line also received best in class distinction out of all the "Class II" ensembles.

For the drumline competition, our pride of the tribe drumline received a rating of 1, which tied them for the highest rating of the night in the drumline competition.

Congratulations to the young men and women of the NCHS "Pride of the Tribe" on representing Natchitoches Central well, and for their many hours of hard work throughout the season! 

BOM is a platinum sponsor of the Natchitoches Central High School Band. The NCHS band has a wide variety of needs throughout the school year including travel expenses to performances, instrument repair and replacement, sheet music, method voids, classroom equipment, and so much more. Pictured left to right: Emmaleigh Toney, Cody Thurber, BOM’s Kristen Carpenter and Tiffany Woods. 

The Natchitoches Central “Pride of the Tribe” Marching Band took to the field Saturday, November 5 at a band competition for area high schools sponsored by Sabine parish’s Many High School. This is the year’s first full competition for the 62 members of the band, coming after an exhibition earlier in the season.

The Chiefs show was titled “TV Tyme” and featured excerpts from the ESPN theme, “Hey Song” and “Shout it Out” from the movie Drumline. The NCHS marching band is under the direction of 2022 LSU alumni Cody Thurber and Associate Director, 2022 NSU alumna Emmaleigh Toney. These two first year teachers are doing a superb job of bringing out the best in their musicians.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal would like to take this opportunity to commend the young men and women of the NCHS “Pride of the Tribe” for not just a wonderful performance, but more importantly, the hard work and discipline you display each time you perform. We would also like to commend the members of NSU’s Tau Beta Sigma honor band sorority chapter who selflessly volunteered to sacrifice some of their scarce free time to assist their fellow musicians. Well done ladies and gentlemen!