2 June 2025
By John Gray
Contributing Writer
(Veritenews.org) — Musicians, many of whom used to compete against each other in high school, have returned to New Orleans from colleges and universities throughout the United States to form the New Orleans All-Star Band. Organized by the New Orleans Legacy Association of Bands, the mass band is in its 15th year.
Composed of 232 members and three directors from various schools and music programs, the band known as the “Juggernaut” has been coming together for the last 15 years to rehearse and perform together while middle and high schoolers, college students and educators are on summer vacation.
Raheim Mitchell, 22, attended St. Augustine High School and joined started playing with the band in 2017 as a mellophone player. He told Verite News that he’s excited to reunite with old friends through the band.
“You haven’t seen them in a year, and you finally come back for just one summer and come together, learn some music and smash [other bands],” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, now a music major at Texas Southern University, has joined the band’s staff as one of the assistant directors and spoke about his experience.
“Working with older people, being in their 20s and 30s, some in their early college years, some in middle school, it teaches you how to just maneuver and learn how to be a leader, dealing with different ranges of ages and different attitudes,” he said.
Jelani Johnson, 32, joined the band in 2011 when he graduated from Eleanor McMain Secondary School. He went on to march at Talladega College after high school. Like many of the more seasoned members of the band, he has seen the growth of the younger musicians over time.
“Some people that are in this band, I’ve actually seen them progress from high school up to now,” he said. “To see the young kids, we have kids as low as 13 here, competing and hanging with the levels of these adults is truly amazing, astonishing. It shows us that the caliber of music we have here in New Orleans is unmatched in any other city.”
The mass band will compete in two band battles on June 21 at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Jackson and on June 28 at Tad Gormley Stadium.
This article originally published in the June 2, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.