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CW has announced a new docuseries set to air in January called “March”, a series exploring HBCU marching band culture.
The eight-part docuseries will focus on The Marching Storm, the highest ranked HBCU band from Prairie View A&M University. It premieres January 24 at 8 p.m.
Last weekend Pepsi aired the first-ever national TV ad called “Halftime Show”, featuring FAMU and Jackson State University’s bands while highlighting “the electricity and history they bring to game day”.
“March” is set to give screen time to all sections of the band, drum majors, dancers, and the flag team, as they balance a rigorous course schedule with all of the time and pressure required to compete at the top HBCU music program.
The series will capture the “pressure-filled journey” that earned The Marching Storm the title, performances from homecoming, Texas A&M, and Southern University. The series will also highlight Prairie View’s legacy and shed light on the importance of marching bands within HBCU culture.
“The world of the HBCU’s has not been seen on American television this way,” said Warner Bros. TV Group Chairman Channing Dungey.
Former Kentucky State University football player James Jenkins described the experience of an HBCU marching band to The Black Wall Street Times like this:
“As a former HBCU football player, the pageantry, brotherhood, the grit, and history is something I still think about till this day….still miss it actually.
The relationship between an HBCU football program and the band goes hand in hand. We always go back and forth about who really brings people to the games, but the contribution that the band brings can never go unnoticed.
The use of one’s gifts to the max is another point I’d like to highlight. Other than being able to play so well that they’re inspiring a future band member or play so loud the next town would hear those beautiful sounds, dancing/performing as a cohesive unit from the stands to the field is quite a sight to see. I’m talking about song battles between the band and their opposition, or even battles between opposing sections as well.”
It is true that people do stay to watch the halftime show — compared to non-HBCUs, where people go to the concession stands.
Never forget the “Fifth-Quarter” is where the bands perform against each other one last time to see who really is the best band…
Kentucky State University
Mighty Marching Thorobreds “MMT”