Albany natives conduct All-American band

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Darvin McRoy and Errick Prince may not have been among the college all-star senior football players on the AlamoDome field Jan. 7, but the Albany natives played a pivotal role in the annual East-West United States Army All-American Bowl.

The college football all-star game, which featured 100 of the nation’s top NCAA senior football players, provided the perfect showcase opportunity for the United States Army All-American Marching Band, comprising 125 of the nation’s best high school senior musicians.

McCroy, who is a middle school band director at Gen. Ray Davis Middle School in Conyers, and Prince, a retired Air Force captain who teaches music and business classes at two Texas air bases, were instructors of the all-American band.

“This was a wonderful experience for both Erick and me,” McRoy said. “Those students are some of the best high school musicians in the country, and it was an honor to work with them. And because we are Albany natives, we wanted to let everyone back at home know about our experience because we thought it would be important to show the community how we still love and represent Albany, Ga.”

The 125 students selected to perform with the All-American band were chosen from more than 2,000 applicants from all parts of the country. Each student sent a video showcasing his or her musical talent, and a selection committee chose the nation’s best to perform during halftime of the nationally televised football game.

Both Prince and McRoy are graduates of Westover High School, Prince with the Class of 1992 and McRoy with the Class of ‘94.