COVINGTON, Ga. — If you stop by the Newton High School track and practice facilities around mid to late July and see a bunch of kids running and sweating in Georgia’s summer heat, don’t just assume those kids to be football players prepping for the fall season. 

 They may very well be members of Newton’s “The Sound Factory” band. 

 If there’s any myth that Jason Smith — Newton High’s band director for 14 years — finds himself having to consistently bust, it is the myth that being in the band is nothing more than learning how to read music and honing your skills with your respective instruments. 

 Smith says it’s so much more. And it doesn’t take a new band member much time to figure that out.

 “When our kids get here in July to begin band camp, I tell them at the beginning of camp that they’re going to have to get used to who’s around them, because you’re going to be spending a lot of time with them,” Smith said. “And it’s not just preparing the music. But the formations on the field. Also, the physical conditioning that they have to do so they can have the stamina to produce eight minutes of high-energy activity at a football game halftime show nonstop.” 

 If you watch The Sound Factory perform, the band’s rhythms, cadences and even song selection may remind you of something you’d see from an Historically Black College and University, such as the annual “Battle of the Bands.” 

 Historically Black colleges and universities ‘(HBCU) bands are known for their high-energy performances and creative sampling of songs that range in genre from traditional Black gospel music to hip-hop and “old school” (think 1970s) R&B music. 

Combine that with the dance routines and movements band members must perform while holding and playing their instruments — some of which can exceed 40 pounds in weight — and the inclusion of choreography from Newton’s “Aries” dance team, and it should be no surprise why you might see a few band members on the track or in the weight room. 

“Because of what we do, it takes a lot of cardio for our kids,” Smith said. “Most of our kids play wind instruments, so you’ve gotta push wind into your instrument, often while moving your body, in order for it to make a sound. We do a lot of core training during band camp as well. More than just being able to play your instrument, it’s just as vital to be in good physical shape.” 

 So vital that last year, Smith instituted the requirement of sports physicals for any student wanting to participate in Newton’s band. 

 “Because that high knee lift, and marching and playing at the same time, that can all be physically challenging for kids,” Smith said. 

Toss in the fact that the peak of Newton’s performance schedule — like most high school bands — happens during the high school football season which, in Georgia, begins in mid August and can last through early December, depending on how far a team makes it in the state playoffs. 

That means making sure band students are able to withstand the rigors of a Georgia summer and the sometimes rainy and chilly late fall. 

“It’s Georgia, and we’re playing football games in August and September where, at 7 p.m., it could still be 90 degrees outside,” Smith said. “Our traditional band uniforms are very heavy, so that’s why you’ll see us in t-shirts and shorts during the first few games of the season. When it gets into the colder months, we put on our full uniforms.” 

And just like a high school football or softball coach who has to practice his or her kids outside, Smith is always keeping his eye on the weather. 

“I’m checking the weather every single day, just to make sure we’re able to get out to practice,” he said. 

That’s because the weather can often have a direct impact on not just how The Sound Factory practices, but also how band members care for their instruments. 

Back in early September when the Newton band won a $10,000 check for its top three finish in the Great Atlanta Band Challenge competition, Smith said the money was so key because “the band room is one of the most expensive rooms in our building.”

“One instrument can cost upwards of $5,000,” Smith said. “And, again, with many of our kids playing woodwind instruments, you can’t really get water in them or it’ll mess up the paths to where they won’t be able to play. A lot of the drums and percussion instruments are made out of wood, so if the water stays on that wood too long, it gets warped and it effects the quality of the instrument.” 

Not only that, you’ll see the Aries dance team at virtually every band practice and many of the performances. 

“We have a choreographer who comes in and teaches those girls routines in practice every single day,” Smith said. “They’re, indeed, a part of the band program. It’s just like another section. Like the trumpet section or the flute section. It’s the Aries section. So they have to be here every day to know what’s going on as far as the halftime shows and being in the stands to make sure they’re locked in to all that we’re doing.” 

If it sounds like a lot, it is. But Smith still doesn’t call it laborious. 

“I don’t see this as work,” he said. “Music is something I fell in love with. I just like the idea of being able to give the kids the same opportunities I had.”

Being largely absent from each other during the height of the pandemic caused some of Newton’s band students to feel the same way. 

“Trying to teach band from a computer screen wasn’t the best thing for us,” Smith said. “Once we were able to get back in person, I felt our kids needed that. They were excited to be back, so even during the hard times of summer camp, they worked a little harder when they got back together. 

“You never really miss what you’ve never had. And having that support, they all really just push each other to be, I think, one of the best bands around.”