Gary L. Smith, Spring Valley High School director of bands, leads his group in the playing of Semper Fidelis. The band from Spring Valley, Wis., held a concert Wednesday afternoon at North Central High School, one of the stops on the band's 2003 concert tour.
Freddie Herpin / Staff Photographer

LEBEAU - When Elizabeth Sowatzke finished pressing the trumpet to her lips, applause filled the North Central High School auditorium from nearly every corner.

If her students did not know before about her musical background they learned of it Wednesday.

Sowatzke, a Teach For America recruit from Spring Valley, Wis., convinced her former high school band to visit the school and perform a concert while in the area.

"This fall when they were deciding where to go, I said they need to come to New Orleans and stop and see us," Sowatzke said prior to her performance.

This is Sowatzke's first year teaching. The Teach For America program, which draws from the nation's top college graduates, requires recruits to give two years to the profession.

Traveling with the band is Sowatzke's mother, Rosalie. A younger brother plays in the band.

"We left noon yesterday (Tuesday)," her mother reported. "We drove straight through. Twenty-five hours and lots of movies."

Sowatzke said few students realize how playing in a band can provide opportunity. It is a way to scholarships, to travel, she said. "I traveled for a month in Europe and went to the Rose Bowl twice because I played in bands."

Dorsey Greene, the band instructor for North Central, said the Midwest schools are known for having strong band programs.

Schools in that area have established band programs, Greene said. "They have been around for a long time and tend to keep directors." North Central's program on the other hand, is fairly new and band directors have come and gone.

"Because there is a shortage of band directors in the parish, they switch band teachers from school to school," Greene said. This in turn disrupts the program as the students have to constantly start over with a new person and new way of doing things.

Greene also spends parts of the week at three of the high school's four feeder schools.

Band directors working at North Central, Northwest and Port Barre teach high school as well as middle school and elementary school students. The band director at Eunice High teaches both high school and middle school students, but directors for Opelousas and Beau Chene High schools teach only at the high school.

"I'm supposed to pick up Morrow Elementary next year," Greene said. "I don't know how I'm going to do it." He already teaches at Washington, Melville and Palmetto Elementary schools, plus North Central High.

Seated in two of the front rows were some of the North Central band members. Their eyes fixed on the stage. A foot and leg here and there moved in beat with the music.

"It's good they came," said Roy Gray. "The different way they play. It makes me play better to hear how they play it."

When asked if the North Central band is good, fellow students sitting near Gray turned to hear his response.

"Yes, ma'am!" the student stated.

The smiles that broke across the faces of students signaled their agreement.

"When we started the year we had 23 in the band," Greene said. "We now have 80."

The Spring Valley band was to spend the night in Lafayette and on Thursday attend a workshop. From there they go on to New Orleans and then back home.

Sowatzke said she was pleased to be able to bring her hometown band to North Central for now her students will know more about her and the people of Wisconsin. Like an exchange of cultures, "it's so exciting,