From a young age, Kaleb and Kendall Henry knew one thing: They were going to be a part of the Columbus High School Band.

The heights to which this ambition would carry them was perhaps lost on their younger selves. Now, their dedication has paid dividends with them both being selected to the Mississippi Lions All-State Band — the first CHS students selected in 20 years, according to LaTerence Varnado, the school’s head band director.

The Lions Band is composed of the best high school players from throughout the state and is considered Mississippi’s top high school band.

“No one has done this in a long time,” Kaleb Henry said. “It’s an honor to be a part of it. We’re going further.”

Kaleb plays the trumpet, while Kendall plays the trombone. Both first picked up those instruments in the sixth grade.

Each of the 50 states has a Lions Band or the equivalent, sponsored by Lions International. All of the bands compete with one another throughout the country as well as internationally at the club’s annual international conference.

The Mississippi Lions Band won first place in 2013 through 2019 and then again in 2022. The boys want to see this continue.

“Hopefully we will maintain that championship dominance that they’ve displayed for the last couple of years,” Kaleb said.

The competition schedule, which begins in June, will have the band traveling to Boston, Washington D.C., the University of Mississippi and Kosciusko.

“It’s a pleasure to be a part of it,” Kaleb said. “Especially since we’ve worked so hard for it. It’s taken us a while.”

Make or break
Added to the novelty of twins representing CHS in the Lions Band is the boys, both seniors, made it on their first and only try.

“It’s probably one of the hardest auditions you will have as far as being in high school band,” Kaleb said. “We rose above and surpassed.”

The audition process is broken into two parts. Held in Pearl, students audition on a Saturday. If they make the first cut, they return the following Saturday for callbacks. If they make it through both rounds, they become members of the Lions Band.

The two have had their eyes on Lions Band since middle school, but the timing never felt right. The boys did not want to audition because they did not feel they were ready for the challenge and placed extra pressure on themselves to make sure they were prepared by practicing for years.

“I felt like we were still developing,” Kendall said. “Of course our music teacher wanted us to go in and try out just for the experience, but we didn’t want to try out and not be ready.”

The COVID-19 pandemic put a hold on their plans as well. There was no Lions Band in 2020. In 2021, the idea of being in a room with hundreds of people at one time still made the two boys uneasy. That made this year make-or-break for the Henrys.

A Falcon legacy
The Henrys developed their love of music watching their aunts play for the CHS band in its heyday.

“That’s when the band was at its peak,” Kaleb said. “It was the biggest band for a high school for a minute.”

When their turn came, the twins took full advantage. Now Kaleb is band captain and Kendall serves as drum major. Each is the 30th person to hold his title, they said, an honor they don’t take lightly.

“That’s the thing. We just want to build up (the other band members’) confidence,” Kendall said. “Seeing your friends trying out and making it, they think, ‘I can do the same thing.’ We just hope to get something started here so that when we do leave, there are more kids making the band.”

Varnado is in his first year as head band director and he is happy to see the boys grow into their own within the program.

“For me, coming in as a director and trying to get my footing, it makes me feel good because I’m always the type to wonder, ‘Did I do this right? Am I doing OK? What’s going on? What do I need to fix?’” Varnado said. “And to know that I got these two together and I’m getting everybody else together was just a good feeling.”

He has been a mentor for the two, and in a way, they are carrying on a dream of his.

“(Varnado) told us a long time ago that, in high school, he never made Lions Band, and so for him to be able to coach us up and for us to be able to make it underneath him, it’s a real honor,” Kendall said.

He coached the boys for months leading up to their audition in November 2022.

“He’s a part of the family now, he doesn’t have a choice,” Kaleb added with a laugh.