The Jefferson Davis High School marching band gave a rousing performance on “America’s Got Talent,” but it wasn’t enough to advance the troupe to the quarterfinals.
NBC today released the names of 44 acts that survived the round known as judge cuts, and the Marching Vols weren’t on the list.
In previous years, the judge cuts have been decided over four episodes, with many of the acts making a second appearance on the show. During Season 15, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the judge cuts round was compressed to a single episode and only a few acts were showcased on camera.
The band from Montgomery wasn’t featured on Tuesday’s judge cuts episode, and its fate was revealed by omission on a press release. That’s a disappointment for fans of the Marching Vols, but the troupe did make a strong impression during its audition, which aired on national television on July 14.
The band entered by strutting through the audience section of the TV studio -- empty due to the pandemic -- and past the judges. Then, the Marching Vols really got down to business, filling the stage with energy and music. Their mashup of Lizzo songs earned “yes” votes from Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara.
Band director Brandon Howard introduced the troupe, saying, “Montgomery, Alabama, has a lot of rich history. It’s a very difficult place to live in at this point in time. The crime rate is kind of high. The poverty rate is high. Most of my students come in, they’re really rough around the edges, but the students come to the band room, they learn discipline, they learn how to play their instrument, and it’s an escape from everything else going on in the city.”
When asked by Cowell where the band gets its funding, Howard said, “The funding is something that we actually do ourselves. We go out into the community and raise money. We do what we have to do.”
“This could be the perfect platform for you,” Cowell said. “Well, I’m really hoping this goes well.”
Although the Jeff Davis band is no longer in competition for $1 million and the Season 15 title, there is a consolation prize: The troupe already had earned a national profile before “America’s Got Talent” came calling.
In fall 2019, videos of the band’s performances were showcased -- and applauded -- by social media personality @PubbyLongway. At the time, the nearly all-Black ensemble was led by a white drum major, Justin Heideman, whose nickname is “Vanilla Funk.”
Longway said he discovered the initial video of Heideman performing with the band on Facebook, according to a report by Andre Toran of the Montgomery Advertiser.
“I was just chilling, and I had videos just running,” Longway said. “Next thing you know I left the room, and I heard some band stuff playing, and I like band music, because I was in band myself. So, I said, ‘Let me go back and listen to that.’ I ran back to my room and I saw Justin. I was like ‘What!? It’s a white boy leading the pack.’”
The videos showcased by Longway have received more than 4 million views, the Advertiser said, but there’s also been a substantial backlash. Critics said the video downplayed three other drum majors for the band, all of whom are Black, and gave undue praise to the single white member of the ensemble.
Heideman had the support of his bandmates, however, and they said he earned the job of lead drum major through hard work and talent.
“When you get to looking on the internet, everybody is slandering him,” Dominic Williams, one of the other drum majors, told the Montgomery Advertiser. “Saying, ‘What is he doing as a white head drum major leading a Black band?’ To me, (his race) really doesn’t faze me, but as to see people talk about him, it’s stupid. Justin, all the things he went through, all the trials and tribulations that he took to become the person he is, a lot of people don’t see that side of him, because they just see him on the internet.”
Heideman performed with the band at the “America’s Got Talent” auditions, which were filmed in advance. But he’s no longer part of the Marching Vols. Heideman graduated from Jeff Davis this spring and has announced that he’ll attend Alabama State University in the fall to play trumpet in the Mighty Marching Hornets band.
Ad Choices