Forced indoors by the damp, drippy weather, Marshall High School marching band belted out a medley of snappy tunes Tuesday evening in its final review for the upcoming year.

New band leader Cathie Cain beamed with Big Red Pride.

And the Marshall Association of Band Supporters beefed up its Hometown Band Scholarship program by selling tickets for its big red truck give-away.

"I'm very pleased with them," Ms. Cain said of her new charges. "We've been going through a transition here. Last year was not a good one for the band and the whole community knew it."

Ms. Cain said the band has been performing in a chorus mode for the past several years, but "we've brought the military style back."

And after demonstrating mastery with the musical instruments, band members performed a series of marching drills under commands barked out by the drum major. Students knew to drop out when they missed a step, but still a few remained in the game as the drum major grew a little hoarse and a lot frustrated.

"When we first started that, they would all have had to drop out after only a few commands," Ms. Cain told the appreciative audience attending the event.

She said she has concentrated on "instilling a good work ethic" and her efforts have paid off.

During an awards presentation, the band director recognized 28 members who had perfect attendance during four-hour daily practice sessions which began July 29.

"One of our problems last year was absences and another was tardiness," she said, adding that these numbers which totaled "between 30 to 40" have been drastically reduced.

"They've had a long summer and I'm very proud of them," Ms. Cain said. "Their attitudes are very good, they've been working hard and I'm very pleased with them. I'm anxious for the community to see 'em."

MABS President David Zeigler agreed with Ms. Cain's evaluation.

"I'm impressed," he said of Tuesday's performance. "I have not been by here all summer and I think the community will be pleased. In my opinion, there's no comparison (to be made) to last year."

Contact Sandra Cason: scason@coxmnm.com or 903-927-5969.