Those who remember listening to the McComb High School band being led by longtime and now retired director Robert Vick should get ready, because he’s back — for homecoming.
This year, the school’s alumni band will be under the direction of Vick and high school principal Robert Lamkin, another former band director.
Lamkin referred to Vick as a “legend” to the band.
“I learned a lot under Mr. Vick,” Lamkin said. “I like doing the alumni band, it gets me into teaching again. I miss it.”
The alumni band, in its second year, was the brain child of Shaniqua Nunnery and Germaine Matthews after the two former band members and JC Penney co-workers discussed it last year.
“We were in the back and we were just talking about what if we were to start an alumni band. That’s when Mr. Lamkin came around the corner,” Nunnery said.
She said after running the idea past Lamkin, he was on board. Matthews said he reached out to McComb High School band director Kendra Washington, who also supported the idea.
On the night of homecoming, both the current high school band and the alumni band combined to play old McComb favorites and the alumni supported the high school band during its homecoming show.
Matthews and Nunnery said they had no idea that it would be as big as it was last year.
“It was like a college game last year,” Matthews said.
Nunnery said in the weeks leading up to homecoming, many former students were recalled their high school days on Facebook by using “Remember when” as a hashtag.
“If there was anything bad going on in our city during that time it was definitely overshadowed by ‘remember when’ memories and jokes that literally took over Facebook for the weeks leading up to homecoming.” Nunnery said. “We had people who didn’t go to McComb replying, ‘Man, I wish I went to McComb.’ ”
On the night of homecoming, C.C. Moore Stadium was packed with mini class reunions as former students met with classmates they hadn’t seen in years.
“Last year was amazing, to see homecoming be revived like that in such a way that brought the whole community out in a positive way was indescribable,” Nunnery said. “Germaine and I had no idea that a small conversation would turn into something so huge it was overwhelming but so rewarding.”
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Vick said he was asked last year to help with the band but he declined. This year, after Nunnery tracked him down, he said yes.
“I asked on Snapchat if anyone knew where he lived,” she said.
After getting Vick’s address, she went and paid him a visit.
“I was trying to place her and my wife was trying to figure out why some pretty girl was at my door,” Vick said, laughing.
Vick said after he spoke with Nunnery, he was in town one day and someone told him they heard he was coming back to direct the alumni band — which was news to him.
He said he sees it as a way to give back to the community where he served for 38 years.
“Now I’m at the age where I can give back,” Vick said. “I’ve been at an age where I could educate and now I can give back.”
Vick said the alumni band is important because it helps get the community involved.
“Bands started as community bands after members of military left. The high schools took over the bands,” he said.
Vick said he believes the alumni band should practice and perform year-round, and the community should support supportive the high school band.
Assistant director Lynnzy Higgins said she believes the alumni band makes McComb High students more enthusiastic about band.
She said alumni will periodically drop in and see what’s going on with the band and help when needed.
“They’ll see something the old heads are doing and ask how they’re doing that or, ‘Can we do it like that?’ ” Higgins said. “Sometimes they’ll see something we don’t catch and they tell us. It’s good to have another set of eyes.”
Higgins said the veteran members of the band sometime have a little push back if something isn’t done the way they remember.
“We try to keep some of the traditions of Mr. Vick and Mr. Lamkin but we do it a different way,” she said.
“They’re not supposed to do it like us,” Vick said. “They can’t be like me or Mr. Lamkin. They should put a new twist on it.”
Nunnery said if anyone wants to join the band, they still can.
Vick said the band is calling any horn players that were in the band.
“Come on and support your band,” he said.
Nunnery said alumni members pay $50 and the fee helps provide funding for the current band — “$35 pays for their shirt and the other $15 is donated to the band.”
“We donated over $800 last year and this year we’re on track to donate $1,400,” Nunnery said.
To join the band, email Nunnery at shaniquanunnery@yahoo.com or find McComb Alumni Band on Facebook.
