TMALA a success for students

Several Comanche band members got to hone their music and marching skills at a camp hosted by Comanche percussion instructor Jack Francis at the Texoma Marching Arts and Leadership Academy (TMALA) held in Ardmore earlier this month.

It is the seventh year for the TMALA week-long camp. It was the 22nd year total for a camp to be held as it moved from just a percussion camp to include all marching band members.

“It is a way to give back to education and the school,” Francis said. “Not every school has someone that can work with their drumline like we do at Comanche. Most schools only have one band director.”

He and another band instructor put together a camp that would not only teach music fundamentals but leadership.

There were nearly 250 students at this year’s camp from more than 30 schools across Oklahoma and Texas.

The list of instructors has grown as well, which this year included 20 interns coming from several different colleges including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and East Central University.

“We show them how it is going to be in a classroom, the challenges you face and who you have to work with like those in the administration and community,” Francis said. “We try to show them what it’s like in the teaching world.”

He said God called him to get the camp going and he hopes to one day to pass the legacy on to others.

“I was raised by a single adult and music gave me an opportunity to do things I might not have been able to do otherwise,” Francis said. “Music can give students a chance to get college scholarships.”

He said 85 to 90 percent of first-year students at this year’s camp was funded by donations from businesses and individuals, including a few local businesses and churches.