Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band readies students for HBCU marching bands

The Mississippi Alumni All-Star Band drew nearly 150 middle school, high school and college musicians to a June rehearsal in Jackson as it prepared students for HBCU band auditions and scholarships, Mississippi Today reported.

During the practice at Provine High School, the ensemble played arrangements of Drake’s “Whisper My Name” and DMX’s “Who We Be,” and Jackson State University assistant band director Travis Prewitt urged players to focus on breathing and projection, Mississippi Today reported.

Co-founders Travis Prewitt, Travis Parks, David Hubbard and the late Christopher Little started the all-star summer program in 2011 to teach “show style,” the high-stepping, high-energy tradition associated with HBCU marching bands, Hubbard told Mississippi Today. Hubbard said about half of the program’s participants have gone on to earn scholarships at Jackson State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and other HBCUs.

The program relies on small grants and fundraising — including neighborhood barbecue plate sales and concession stand receipts — to cover uniforms, travel and rehearsal space, Hubbard said. Starting each May, Prewitt and a team of rotating directors drill students on new pieces, breathing techniques and marching, Mississippi Today reported, to help them compete with peers from larger southern cities for college band spots.

Participants and faculty told Mississippi Today the summer ensemble also provides mentorship and career boosts. Leonard Martin, a Lanier Jr. Sr. High School band director, said he joined the program in 2013 and later earned a scholarship and a spot in Jackson State’s Sonic Boom. Senior drummer Corbin Williams said the program improved his sight reading and technique and helped him prepare to audition for the Sonic Boom. Jackson State trumpet player Auiyhna Scott said she has mentored high school students through the program since 2024.

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