CEDAR HILL, Texas — When high school senior Jeremy Barres first started playing the trumpet in sixth grade, he couldn’t have imagined loving band as much as he does now.
“Band has become the thing that has made me feel like I can actually do anything that I put my mind to,” said Barres. “At first I didn’t think I’d really be good at band. I just saw it as an extracurricular class I could take.”
Barres’ love for music has grown every year, and he attributes his passion for the art to Cedar Hill High School’s Red Army Band director Derrick Walker.
“He’s not just a good band director, he’s a good person,” said Barres about Mr. Walker. “Everything he does is to help us move forward. Band with him is filled with life lessons he wants us to apply outside the band hall.”
One of those life lessons is to “always do your best because you never know who’s watching,” said Barres.
On Sept. 12, that "life lesson" came to fruition when Mr. Walker surprised him and his fellow bandmates with a pop-quiz performance. Little did Barres or the other students know sitting in the class was Langston University’s assistant band director William Young.
“Mr. Walker had all of us play a difficult line of music from our band books,” said Barres. “One by one we played the piece while Mr. Young listened to hear who played it best.”
Mr. Young is Cedar Hill School District’s former fine arts director and was secretly judging to offer five students a full-ride band scholarship to Oklahoma University. Mr. Walker said he wasn’t surprised when Barres was one of the five chosen to receive Mr. Young’s scholarship.
“Jeremy is what we call a band nerd,” said Mr. Walker. “He eats and sleeps band all day long.”
As a fellow band nerd, Mr. Walker and Barres share a passion for music and for winning.
Mr. Walker is a two-time Grammy Award nominee who’s led his Red Army Band to win the 2022 State Fair Classic’s Battle of the Bands competition for the fifth year in a row.
The annual college football game is between Grambling State University Tigers and Prairie View A&M University Panthers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The game kicked off the State Fair of Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas’ Fair Park.
For three of his four years in high school, Barres, along with his fellow Longhorns, has won the honor of entertaining attendees to a pregame performance as winners of the Battle of the Bands competition.
“We won in 2017 and 2018 and then again in 2019 when I was a freshman,” said Barres. “We probably would have won my sophomore year in 2020 if it wasn’t for COVID-19, and then we won my junior year in 2021.”
On Oct. 1, Barres along with his fellow Longhorns, won again.
“Winning is a big deal,” said Mr. Walker. “Not only for the bragging rights, but they get to perform in front of between 40,000 to 60,000 people in the audience.”
The football rivalry features a halftime showdown between both university’s marching bands.
“It’s something we look forward to seeing every year,” said Barres.
In the Red Army’s band hall, dozens of trophies are displayed to remind students like sophomore drum major Alannah Rayos that the hot after-school practices are worth the success.
“I’m so proud of this trophy we won last year,” said Rayos as she pointed to the 2021 first-place trophy with a big smile on her face. “I can honestly say this trophy right here came with a lot of sweat, tears, hard work and dedication.”
That hard work and dedication is something Mr. Walker says keeps him proud regardless of the wins.
“Last year our band students had $6 million in college scholarships,” said Mr. Walker. “I’m proud of that more than any trophy that we can ever win. That’s what keeps me going. We’re putting these kids in college. We’re making them productive citizens.”
Barres’ top choices for after he graduates include his official offer from Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, and Southern University A&M in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“Although music is one of my passions, I plan on getting a law degree,” said Barres. “My dream job is to become a district attorney.”
Mr. Walker said students like Barres and Rayos who have a drive to win make the Red Army band a success. Witnessing their passion fuels his.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about the money that we make as educators,” said Mr. Walker. “It’s about what we can do for others, and that’s what life should be about. I think the world would be a better place if everybody had the mindset of educators.”
Barres said winning the State Fair Classic’s band competition three of his four years in high school definitely feels good. This year’s win has him excited to perform and compete during his four years of university marching band.
“We have a habit of winning,” said Barres with a smile on his face “But we need to remember that once you make it to the top, if you want to stay there, you have to work hard. Because it’s harder to stay at the top than it is to get to the top.”
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