CMS Super Bowl victory band fires up

Carolina Panthers optimism was high this week in the West Charlotte High School auditorium.

Students from seven Charlotte high schools practiced in anticipation of the NFL team’s Super Bowl 50 victory. The Panthers will face the Denver Broncos in that game. The band will play if there is a victory parade next week.

The students had gathered from Harding, Garinger, Phillip O. Berry, Independence, West Mecklenburg, Vance and West Charlotte high schools. The gathering was initiated by West Charlotte band director Duncan Gray.

“There will only be a performance if the Panthers win,” Gray said Thursday. “Everything is contingent on that. This effort was not meant to alienate anyone or leave anyone out. This is the first gathering of all the high-step-style bands in the city. It’s great to have them all together in one band, instead of competing against each other.”

The bands started practicing Feb. 1. The band name is Charlotte Consolidated ShowStyle Band.

“This effort has a social, academic and musical aspect,” Gray said. “This may be the only chance some of these students will ever have a chance to participate in an event of this magnitude.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 2:50 PM with the headline "CMS Super Bowl victory band fires up."