Music has echoed throughout Troy University’s campus all week during the Sound of the South Music Leadership Camp. Approximately 560 campers from all over the southeast are participating in the camp’s 45th year.

Classes are offered for majorettes, dancers, the drum line, concert band, color guard and drum majors.

“Kids come from all over and they work on techniques and tricks and rehearsal things that make them better individually,” said Dr. Mark Walker, director of bands. “Then they take that back home to their band program and they share those things with their fellow students at their home school. That makes all the bands better.”

The students range from beginners to extremely advanced. The instructors focus on fundamentals but also more advanced techniques and concepts.

“The instructors are very good at juggling all these things,” Walker said. “We have great instructors. All of our instructors are alumni of the band. They had such a great time during their collegiate experience, so they come back as teachers. We use many current students as staff assistants. It’s a full group effort by everybody in the band program.”

The Sound of the South Music Leadership Camp began around 1970 when Dr. John M. Long started it. The camp has grown and thrived since then, and it continues to grow.

“I think it’s a testament to the staying power of music, how important music education is in the schools, our culture and throughout the United States,” Walker said. “I think it is a testimony to the quality of the program that we have here. If we weren’t doing something right, then the camp would have folded a long time ago. The fact that it continues to grow and we continue to get large number even though there are competing camps throughout the area says a lot for what we have and what we offer the students, band directors and bands.”

While campers enjoy their 12-hour days of music, the camp offers nightly activities such as a movie night, a dance and what they call “Band Olympics,” where they play field games.

The camp ends today with a final performance in Sartain Hall at 12:45 p.m. Each class of students will be able to demonstrate what they have been working on throughout the week.