“Anchors aweigh my boys, Anchors aweigh. Farewell to college days, we sail at break of day, day, day, day!” These words are a select few of the lyrics to the United States Navy’s theme song. On Feb. 25, the Navy band will be at Ouachita possibly performing the tune to accompany these lyrics.
The United States Navy Band, hailing from the Navy base in Washington, D.C., is stopping at Ouachita as part of its annual National Tour. Other performance stops in the area include Hot Springs and Texarkana.
The band consists of some of the finest musicians in America and often performs for the president of the United States at official ceremonies, at funerals for sailors buried in Arlington National Cemetery and forannual national tours, like the one that brings them to Ouachita.
Robert Hesse, director of athletic bands, says it is a rare and important opportunity for the Ouachita community to see such a talented musical group perform.
“We’re very honored to have them come here,” Hesse said. “We’re excited that our students here at Ouachita get to experience something so prestigious.”
For their performance, the Navy Band has requested the presence of the top musicians from local high schools to perform certain numbers on stage with them. Students have already been selected and invited to perform from Arkadelphia, Gurdon and Malvern high schools, as well as other schools.
“It’s a neat opportunity for high school students from such small towns to be able to perform with such a prominent group of musicians,” Hesse said.
Ouachita’s band students are thrilled about the arrival of the Navy Band as well.
“The Navy Band is a really important group to the music community,” said freshman clarinet player Brooke Baker. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to see them here.”
Junior bassoon player Jonathan Stockman recalled a time in middle school when he first heard about the United States Navy band.
“When I was in middle school all-state band, my director kept going on and on about how amazing the Navy Band was and how excited she was to get the opportunity to conduct such an amazingly disciplined group of performers,” Stockman said. “Thinking back on that makes me really excited to see this band perform.”
The purpose of the National Tour is to reach out and thank the American people, through music, for all the support they have given the military through the years.
“It’s a symbol of gratitude from the band to the American people,” Hesse said. “It also serves as a recruiting tour for the branch [of military].”
The admission to the performance is free, but for the sake of counting how many people the band reaches, tickets are required. They can be obtained from Dr. Craig Hamilton or in the Fine Arts office.
Uncle Jeremy will be so proud! Love you!