The pitter-patter of the drum line marched through the parking lot on a sizzling summer morning a few weeks ago. Students swayed their arms side by side as band leaders instructed them on their choreography. The metronome stayed constant. It was another hot day of band camp at Hillgrove High School in Cobb County.
The record hot temperatures have band directors closely monitoring their students during practice at the start of the school year. Parent volunteers are helping keep watch at some schools. Norcross High School sometimes offers Popsicle breaks to cool down students. At North Gwinnett High School, each band member has their own water jug to stay hydrated.
Several metro Atlanta schools, including Hillgrove, are using a wet-bulb thermometer, which takes humidity into account, to get a reading of how the body feels the temperature outside. From there, directors can use practice guidelines from the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) on when to give students breaks.
“But I know that once the weather bulb hits like 92, then we have to go inside,” said Hillgrove’s band director, Jeremy Lumpkin.
Credit: Jamie Spaar
Credit: Jamie Spaar
More attention in recent years has been paid to high school football players after tragic instances of students dying in hot conditions. Though they don’t practice in uniform, many marching bands also practice in such heat.
A study published in the International Journal of Biometeorology found that from 1990-2020, there were nearly 400 instances of heat illness at band events nationwide. More than half involved heat syncope, dizziness or fainting, and 44% involved heat exhaustion, nausea or a weak pulse. Researchers attributed the length of practices, lack of on-site medical staff and uniforms as factors in the heat illness incidents.
Students are often practicing on asphalt, which can absorb more of the sun’s heat. This, in turn, can make the pavement more than 100 degrees, even if the air temperature is lower, according to a University of Georgia study. Band instructors are required by the state to give their students at least three water breaks per hour.
Credit: Jamie Spaar
Credit: Jamie Spaar
Chris Shumick, Milton High School’s band director, also uses a wet-bulb thermometer in conjunction with guidelines set by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for his practices. For every 20 minutes of activity, Shumick encourages his students to drink water.
“There’s no doubt that the data said it was hot,” said Shumick, referring to this year’s temperatures.
Fortunately for Hillgrove and Milton, the band directors said they haven’t had many issues. Neither did Norcross High School. It was hot, sure, but the body gets used to it, said Norcross clarinet player Ca’Trell Haynes.
Drum major Paolo Olmedo agreed before a recent practice, but said that practice was a bit different this year. When it got too hot, the band members set down their instruments and practiced the movements without them.
“We kinda went back and forth, depending on the weather, for instruments,” said Olmedo.
Olmedo preferred that, because the metal instruments had a tendency to overheat. Other than that? Pretty standard.
During camp, students came inside to work on music or color guard choreography in the afternoon, the hottest hours. Milton only had five days of band camp, and practiced in the evening before the school year started.
Credit: Jamie Spaar
Credit: Jamie Spaar
“But we found that seven o’clock to nine o’clock to be the really sweet spot for this time of year of putting the kids outside in its most comfortable hours,” said Shumick.
That’s what it’s about for these directors: safety. Lumpkin and Shumick attributed the increased breaks to a “shift in the culture.” In the past, the focus was on pushing the body to the limit. Now, it’s on making sure the students are having fun.
“We want to produce the best show we can, but we can’t produce a good show or train the musicians ... if the students aren’t in their best mind,” said Lumpkin.
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