By Brandon Davis
For years, the University of Louisville marching band had to make do with what they had, or rather what they did not have, in regards to finding a suitable location to conduct practice.
From conducting rehearsals in the parking lot of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, to practicing in a small field just off the side of the student parking lot on Brook Street, the absence of a designated practice field has been a challenge for the Cardinal marchers.
But all that changed when the story of Patrick Henry Hughes drew national interest.
For those unfamiliar with his story, Patrick Hughes is a student at U of L. He was born blind and diagnosed with a rare disorder that does not allow him to stretch his limbs, and has confined him to a wheelchair throughout his entire life.
Hughes was persuaded by Dr. Greg Byrne, associate director of bands, to join the U of L marching band. This eventually led to a considerable amount of media attention surrounding him.
In 2006, Hughes was the recipient of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award, and was featured on ABC’s television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2007.
As part of the Hughes Family Extreme Makeover feature, ABC also sponsored a community project of Patrick Hughes’ choice. His decision was to give back to the U of L marching band program.
“With all the people that have helped him over the years, he actually chose to give back to the band,” said Byrne. “What he wanted was a project to kind of do a marching band makeover. So actually what happened was, rather than ABC making over our small field, they took an intramural field and upgraded it, so to speak.”
The upgraded practice field has gone a long way in boosting the morale of students involved in the band.
“It’s just really nice to know that we are one of the few college bands that have their own field, with lights and a bunch of other stuff we didn’t used to have,” said junior music major Megan Ball. “It’s nice to be able to say, ‘Hey, look what we have.'”
The band’s new practice field has supplied a number of tangible advantages, such as a storage room and a well-maintained, lined flat surface for practice.
“The lights help a lot,” said Ball. “We used to have to quit practice early, after the time changed every year, because it would get so dark we couldn’t see anything.”
But there are also a number of intangible benefits that may be even more meaningful than the tangibles.
“Just being on a field that is well-maintained, has lights and is lined enhances the pride our students have,” said Byrne.
In addition, the on-campus location has provided easy accessibility for band members.
“We’ve had fields that weren’t so close to campus,” said Byrne. “So it gives a sense of identity to campus life too, not only to the band, but for the students that can hear us.
