Borrowed instruments allow band to compete

DURHAM -- The band will play on.

By the time you read this, N.C. Central University's marching band and more than a dozen borrowed instruments will be well on the way to Atlanta for the prestigious Battle of the Bands, an invitational showcase for marching bands from historically black colleges and universities.

The band was scheduled to load up the bus this morning at 3 and head south. Its ability to perform came into question last week with the discovery that more than a dozen instruments -- including 14 massive sousaphones -- had been stolen from the band room in two break-ins in November and December. Since then, band officials worked to rescue the excursion with instruments borrowed from various sources.

"The band is definitely going," said Miji Bell, a spokeswoman for the university. "They were able to borrow all the instruments they need and don't have to rent any."

It wasn't clear Thursday just where the borrowed instruments came from. Jorim Reid, the band director, declined to comment Thursday on the situation.

The stolen sousaphones are valued at $3,000 each; buying them new could run as much as $7,000, Reid said last week. Sousaphones are large, big-belled tubas that wrap around the body. They are most often purchased by schools, music groups and churches, but there is also a market for individual instruments, particularly on the Internet.

Saturday's Battle of the Bands showcase will be held at Atlanta's Georgia Dome. NCCU's band is one of 10 invited to the event this year, and one of three from North Carolina; Winston-Salem State University and Shaw University in Raleigh will also be represented.