Cindy Brunt Melby, a KHS graduate and Big Red Band member under Mickey Grove, recently talked about her experience with the band and music in general. “I started out on the flute, but Mr. Grove eventually told me that he had enough flute players and asked me to switch to the bassoon. I was scared of him, so I did whatever he said!” she said with a laugh. During marching season, however, she was needed more with percussion and moved to the drum section, playing cymbals or whatever other instrument was needed. “I ended up being in the color guard, and that was so much fun,” she said.Melby is quick to identify many benefits to being in Big Red, most importantly the bonding of friendships that she made. “I also enjoyed making high quality music and found it very stimulating. I enjoyed the structure and the high level of discipline as well as being a part of something so special,” she said. “Our parents were very supportive of the band, as well, through the band boosters, and they also bonded under Mr. Grove’s leadership. They knew their children were excelling and wanted to please him.” Attending Mississippi for University for Women after graduation, Melby majored in music and played bassoon in the symphony there. She pursued her graduate degree in music at Mississippi State and taught elementary music in the Starkville Public Schools for 27 years. Being in the band influenced her career as well. “I always set a high standard for my students and was not o.k. with the status quo. I had them doing some theatrical things as well, which was certainly an influence from my band days,” Melby said.After leaving the public schools, Melby taught at Mississippi State for six years, where her past experiences with band also helped her. “I had band students in my piano lab, and I was tolerant of what they knew musically. I also appreciated the fact that they knew their instruments,” she said.Another musical influence in her background was her experience in the youth choir at First United Methodist Church in Kosciusko. “We took a lot of pride in our music, and we produced quality that was beyond the norm, such as when we performed the musical ‘Godspell,’” said Melby.Her musical knowledge has now influenced her own family, especially her daughters Hannah and Caroline. The duo, known as Hannah-Lina, is located in Nashville and plays country and bluegrass music in and around the city. “Of course, since COVID, everything in Nashville has come to a standstill, and that has been hard. However, they were already turning from touring to playing at local places, such as the Country Music Hall of Fame. I appreciate how big a supporter Kosciusko is of them,” she said. Melby, along with her husband, added coaching the girls and working with them to her musical resume. “Caroline was in the sixth grade when they started and in the ninth when they started touring, so we certainly were going to go with them. We drove them to venues and had a great time doing that,” she said. “They were in my music class at school, and they grew up around music all the time.” As for the Skipworth Performing Arts Center, Melby is wholeheartedly supportive of the planned renovation and expansion of the Kosciusko Junior High School auditorium.“It’s a marvelous idea! When the girls performed in Kosciusko, we sometimes had trouble finding space large enough or with enough lights and outlets to accommodate the band. I think Central Mississippi definitely needs a performing arts center, and it should bring a lot of recognition to the city,” Melby said.She also likes the idea of Grove Hall and honoring the longtime band director. “Mr. Grove took us to new heights and I think it’s great to honor how influential he was in the community,” said Melby.
