by Jaron Von Runnen
The Paducah Sun
August 20, 2025
Used with permission.
Amid multiple heatwaves this summer, Paducah Tilghman High School’s Band of Blue adjusted its practice schedule, implementing extra precautions while having students practice outside.
Starting band practice in late July, Director of Bands at Paducah Tilghman High School, Caleb Hamlyn, said the band has gone through a handful of challenges. With the heat being the main concern, Hamlyn noted that before the season began that he had read all the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) rules, doing what he could to promote safety while also making practice fun for the students.
“It has been a challenge, especially learning our first couple of drill sets; that’s something that has to be done on a football field or on a painted field,” Hamlyn said. “We’re working with what we got. So, you know, we use the gym, we get to learn visuals, we get to work on our music inside. There’s a lot of different things that we can do to make rehearsal productive without being on a field.”
If the band does go outside on the football field, Hamlyn said they try to be outside early in the morning, sometimes around 7 a.m., before the sun gets too intense. He said his goal coming into his role as band director was to provide plenty of breaks for his students; 10-minute breaks every 30 minutes.
“We’ll do what we call gush-and-goes. It’s where you run off the field, get you some water, come back and keep going,” Hamlyn said. “We also added water blocks this year. Instead of our instruments, we brought our water bottles, and we use them as instruments, and you drink water when you needed to.”
Although most afternoon practices have been moved inside, he mentioned having different ways to stay cool while having fun practicing outside.
“We were blessed pretty much every day of camp, we had people bringing Sonic slushies,” Hamlyn said. “We had popsicles, just any way to stay cool. We had a water gun fight that was fun. Just all kinds of things to stay cool as much as we can.”
While practice can be fun, the band also practices discipline, making sure they do whatever it takes to be on top, according to drum major Keaton Thompson.
“We’re a very dedicated band, and we like to be proud of what we do,” Thompson said. “We work really hard in the mornings with outdoor drills, making sure we have our movements looking good on the field. Then in the afternoon, we come in, because it gets so hot outside, and we work on the musical side of it, so we sound good on the field too.”
Thompson said while they practice outside, they make sure to drink plenty of water and sports drinks, put cool, wet towels around their necks, and take plenty of shade breaks as well.
“We all have the common goal: we all want to be the best band that we could possibly be,” Thompson said. “We all want to sound as best as we can. When we all unite and go towards that goal, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
The Band of Blue’s first on-field performance will be Sept. 5 during Paducah Tilghman High School’s home game against Mayfield High School.