In Class with Carr: “Memory Takes The Field
In the latest episode of In Class With Carr, Karen Hunter and Dr. Greg Carr ground their discussion in the lived meaning of high school and HBCU band culture, using the ESPN Band of the Year competition in Atlanta and the victory of Westlake High School’s Mighty Marching Lions as a concrete example.
Reflecting on the joy sparked by watching young people perform, Hunter notes that moments like these make people smile because “there’s something connected that connects us all,” while Dr. Carr adds that such spaces are powerful because young people still carry an enthusiasm that “has not yet had it knocked out of their soul.”
Dr. Carr connects the discipline of band culture to leadership and governance, explaining that the drum major functions as “the director on the field,” responsible for centering the group and holding everything together.
Together, they highlight that HBCU-trained educators lead these bands and represent an intergenerational model of learning that rejects isolation and individualism.
As Carr puts it, these gatherings are not just performances but “rituals of governance,” spaces where memory, discipline and collective responsibility are practiced and passed on, reminding listeners that music and education remain central to how communities sustain themselves and imagine the future.
Watch the full episode below.
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