Sarasota High School Band members play under the direction of MU1 Joel Borrelli-Boudreau. The Sarasota High School Band is the only high school band in the country authorized to wear the U.S. Navy dress blue “crackerjack“ uniform. Photo courtesy of MU1 Paul Skinner.

These weren’t just any high school students, however. As they unloaded instruments and gear from buses, they made a striking first impression, dressed in the Navy’s Service Dress Blue uniforms, or ‘‘Crackerjacks.”

The Mighty Sailor Marching Band, under the tutelage of Director of Bands John Roseboom, sought expert instruction from Naval Academy Band Director Lt. Cmdr. Brian O. Walden and the Naval Academy Band in their final preparations for the Presidential Inaugural Heritage Music Festivals parade.

The Sarasota High School was founded in 1915, and due to a lack of roads in the Sarasota area, students had to sail Sarasota Bay to compete with neighboring high schools at football games. According to Roseboom, in 1927 the band was renamed the ‘‘Mighty Sailor Band.” In 1990 the school’s band director requested permission to wear a Navy uniform, and in 1991, the Secretary of the Navy authorized the Sarasota High School Mighty Sailor Band to wear the official Navy uniform. They are the only high school band authorized to wear Navy Crackerjacks.

During a two-hour practice session, the Mighty Sailor Marching Band improved their musical skills, marched with greater precision and spirit, and increased their appreciation for the traditions behind the Navy uniforms they wear.

Naval Academy Band members kicked off the morning with a musical warm-up session for the wind instruments directed by enlisted conductor Musician 1st Class Joel Borrelli-Boudreau, and a percussion sectional rehearsal led by percussionist Musician 1st Class Kevin Meyer. During the winds rehearsal, Borrelli-Boudreau honed the band’s music aspects of tone production and musical phrase execution through his skillful expertise and lively humor.

Naval Academy Band instrumentalists performed with the students and offered specific advice on their respective instruments. Freshman trumpeter Jaqui Knake, excited to play beside trumpet instrumentalist Musician 1st Class Carl Lindquist, said she plans to go to the University of South Florida, join their NROTC unit, and then follow in her mom’s footsteps and join the Navy.

At the conclusion of the winds rehearsal, Borrelli-Boudreau facilitated a question and answer session to help the students gain insight into the role of the Naval Academy Band as well as other bands of the Navy Music Program. Roseboom also asked Naval Academy Band members to explain the significance, tradition, and pride of wearing the Navy uniform.

Master Chief Musician Richard Chappell and Borrelli-Boudreau spoke of the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment, and told the students that they proudly wear their uniforms to honor and represent all the men and women serving their country, past, present and future, to ‘‘defend freedom and democracy around the world.”

The students then proceeded to Dahlgren Hall, where they received a brief history of the Naval Academy Band’s uniform and drum major regalia from Head Drum Major Chief Musician Todd Nix. Nix also led a marching fundamentals rehearsal with the Mighty Sailor Marching Band with assistance from Assistant Drum Major Musician 1st Class James Hurd. The young marchers performed ‘‘Anchors Aweigh” and marched in ranks while Nix and Hurd adjusted the band’s alignment and offered specific advice toward a more polished performance.

The Mighty Sailor’s drum majors, seniors Stacia Henderson and Rocky Flood, both ‘‘hoping for a solid performance on Sunday’s Presidential Inaugural parade,” immediately saw the improvement in their peers’ marching and esprit de corps. Henderson said it was ‘‘an overwhelmingly amazing experience” to work with the Naval Academy Band members.

According to Roseboom, ‘‘there was an immediate and, I hope, permanent change in the members. They went to the parade competition on Sunday and took first place in all categories. That day I saw a distinctly different band and I attribute it to the Naval Academy Band.”

The members of the Naval Academy Band served as musical ambassadors to these young, enthusiastic students in their quest for musical excellence. The Mighty Sailor Band came away from the Naval Academy with a deeper appreciation for music, the Navy, and the uniform that they proudly wear.

More information about the Mighty Sailor Band is available at www.mightysailorband.org⁄.