It’s hard to ignore the trophies that surround the bandroom at Robert E Lee High school in Baytown. The band has been around since 1932 and hit it’s peek in the 60’s and 70’s when they became known as “The Famous Robert E Lee Band”. However, in the early 2000’s they lost some of their luster.
Robert Poulin (It’s french so ROW-Bear Poo-LAWN) took over as director of bands in 2012 and things started turning around for the Gander Band. They started winning competitions and performing in prestigious venues such as the University of Houston Opera House. When the pandemic hit, the U-I-L band competitions and other performances went away for two years. While other bands began losing members, the Lee Band grew bigger and better. And this year, competitions were back. Last weekends U-I-L regional competition was their first real show in almost two years. And they killed it….
The Gander Band received all 1’s and won sweepstakes which automatically qualified them for this weekend’s Area Competition. It was a feeling the band members could not contain
The Famous Robert E Lee Band have more performances on the horizon besides the Area Competition. They will be playing the National Anthem before the Dynamo’s season finale on Halloween and they will travel to Universal Studios later this year to play a 30 minute concert. They’ve built a culture in the Baytown Lee bandroom. A culture of inclusion and family.