While football has been down at Lanett High this year, as the school struggles with a youthful, inexperienced team, the LHS band is doing quite well in its halftime shows. Under the direction of two new band directors, the Golden Panther band has seen an increase in participation this year, and the kids have been having fun performing an odyssey of John Williams tunes.

Doug Baker is the school's first-year band director. He's assisted by Ben Brown, a graduate of Valley High and Auburn University. Baker has an impressive background in music. He's on course to get a Masters Degree in Music Education from Auburn in May. A former trombone player in the Benjamin Russell High band, Baker did his undergraduate work in music at Samford University in Birmingham.

In college, Baker played in both brass and wind ensembles and once was asked to play for an opera, The Pirates of Penzance. "I really enjoyed that," he says.

While doing graduate work at Auburn, he's had the chance to work with Opelika High band director Jeff Hudson. A couple of years ago, he was the school's assistant band director. Last year he was in school full time. This year he'll direct the Lanett program while finishing his Masters.

When Baker accepted the band director's job at Lanett, he at first thought he'd have to direct the entire program by himself. But on the first day of rookie camp, he learned he'd have an assistant. "Ben showed up that first day," he said. "When Mr. Looser told me I would have some help, I was so happy. It helps so much to have an assistant, and Ben's been very good at handling such tasks as setting the drills on the field and many of the little things." Brown recently earned a B.A. degree from Auburn, where he was in the school's marching band and symphonic band for four years.