Will this Hire Supercharge the Gameday Experience?

[Ragin9221]

Hopefully he can bring a new experience to Cajun Field. Him being a Jackson State alumnus

The UL Lafayette School of Music and UL Bands would like to welcome Dr. Kelvin Jones as our interim Director of Bands for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Dr. Jones is an active educator, conductor, musician, drill designer, and music arranger for music programs across the country, with degrees from Jackson State University and Louisiana State University. He has conducted and performed internationally in Europe and South America and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the US at both state and regional levels. He also serves as an Educational Consultant with Conn Selmer’s Division of Education, an instructor at the Smith-Walbridge Drum Major Clinic held in Charleston, Illinois, and in numerous capacities within the College Band Directors National Association. He is published in the Instrumentalist magazine and the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Jones to the UL music family!

[Houston Cajun]

This is a much needed change to our band. Hopefully, he brings new excitement and a new repertoire for a better game day experience. It is sad when Miss State baseball has higher attendance than UL football. Time to change that.

[Roarman]

I'm hoping this is awesome news. The last two band directors, that's right, UL had two band directors, were absolutely the worst. Hopefully they will get rid of playing eight bars of give 'em cornbread after first down and the other songs they play after second down and third down.

Hopefully he can bring to the band, that was once one of the best bands in all of college, a little more respect.

I have my fingers crossed.

[2022cajun]

Please note that he is an Interim director. Hopefully UL does the right thing and hires him on full time. But yeah, as a POA alum, the hiring of Dr. Popp set the program back two decades. What really did it was when he refused to resign after what happened in 2024. No kid is going to want to join POA and play for a guy that has serious allegations against him. That’s why the band compliment is getting lower. Recruiting will need to be a priority for Dr. Jones. The more people the more sound gets projected. I’ve heard from people that POA isn’t being loud enough. Let’s change that.

[Houston Cajun]

Please note that he is an Interim director. Hopefully UL does the right thing and hires him on full time. But yeah, as a POA alum, the hiring of Dr. Popp set the program back two decades. What really did it was when he refused to resign after what happened in 2024. No kid is going to want to join POA and play for a guy that has serious allegations against him. That’s why the band compliment is getting lower. Recruiting will need to be a priority for Dr. Jones. The more people the more sound gets projected. I’ve heard from people that POA isn’t being loud enough. Let’s change that.

Maybe having more brass and less woodwinds would help that.

[Ragin9221]

Maybe having more brass and less woodwinds would help that.

Yeah i agree, look at bands like Southern, or Ohio State they have way more brass then woodwinds, thats how bands like Southern etc. have that sound. One of the reason why there 300 member band sounds so much louder then other 300 piece band. If you able to do it why not.

[2022cajun]

Yeah i agree, look at bands like Southern, or Ohio State they have way more brass then woodwinds, thats how bands like Southern etc. have that sound. One of the reason why there 300 member band sounds so much louder then other 300 piece band. If you able to do it why not.

Ohio State actually has zero woodwinds…

[Turbine]

Give him some elbow room to operate and shut down the piped in noise.

[Ragin9221]

Give him some elbow room to operate and shut down the piped in noise.

Well whoever the band director is and the person doing the sound need to coordinate together, They need to decide whether the band is playing or they are playing piped music. They should be able to talk to each other during the game.