Instruments are the highlight in this band, Marching Cobras of New York. To better explain what the band is about and how they are known around the city, Terrel Stowers, Director of Bands, sat down with LatinTRENDS to find out more.
LatinTRENDS (LT): What type of music does your band perform?
Terrel Stowers (TS): The marching cobras is a mixture of drum line dance team and Flagline most of our music is based on percussion rudiments and basic hip-hop R&B type atmosphere that excites the crowd. We take our exciting routines such as the drumming rudiments and things that we learn and put them altogether with dance routines as the whole band sets and excitement down the parade route. As you well know we are not just the traditional marching band we are a band that takes pride in entertaining the crowd.
LT: What inspired you to go into music?
TS: What inspired me was when I took a trip down to South Florida and worked with other bands as an assistant band director. I’ve learned the fun way of teaching music for students who never picked up a drumstick before nor twirled the flag something they can actually believe in and these band members are all non-drummers and non-musicians in the past few years we have now developed students that have now learned how to play drums.
LT: What are you best known for when someone hears your name?
TS: The coolest thing about when you first see this band is how we catch peoples attention, how we have a high step down the street and how people are excited to see us. We have smiles on our faces and we are engaging the crowd.
LT: Where do you get your inspiration to create new music?
TS: My inspiration is the band that I was in during college, the Bethune Cookman University marching Wildcats, which is a mixture of 365 musicians who all come from all over such as Florida to New Jersey to New York to Chicago all over to become this one large college marching band. They inspired me to go out and do more. We don’t have many big marching bands up north and a lot of school districts have cut marching bands because of budget reasons. This community-based program brings it back altogether and we encourage all you to be part of this organization.
LT: What are your current projects?
TS: Our biggest project we are preparing for is the Super Bowl for our pregame presentation and pregame festivities that we will be a part of at MetLife Stadium on February 2. The next one is the Super Bowl parade happening January 29 where we will be marching down Super Bowl Blvd and we are extremely proud that we will be representing Westchester, NY.
LT: Where can fans find you on social media?
TS: They can find us at www.marchingcobrasny.org
