Didn’t miss a beat: LCHS Band finishes in top 10 despite drums, equipment being stolen

“You overcome and the show goes on,” Las Cruces High School Band Director Ty Fredericks said about the band’s top-10 finish in the Zia Marching Band Fiesta in Albuquerque last Saturday despite the theft of thousands of dollars in band instruments and equipment the night before.

As they were preparing to leave LCHS for Albuquerque early Saturday morning, Oct. 22, Fredericks got a call that the band’s equipment truck had been stolen from an Albuquerque motel parking lot, along with about $200,000 in musical instruments and sound equipment.

When Fredericks told band members about the theft, “It didn’t feel real at first,” said Luke Bugbee, a freshman who plays bass drum.

When Fredericks said he “had some bad news,” Luke said he thought there might be a problem with lunch that day, or something like that. “It was hard to believe for a second,” he said. “The more you thought about it, the more you thought about how many important things were on the truck.”

Fredericks immediately began making calls – to NMSU and Las Cruces and Albuquerque high schools – to borrow drums, sousaphones, a complete sound system and color-guard flags so the band could perform that afternoon.

One of Fredricks’ first calls was to NMSU Music Department Head Fred Bugbee (Luke’s father), who loaned drums and color guard equipment to LCHS.

El Dorado High School (Albuquerque) Band Director Brad Dubbs promised the loan of percussion equipment and also called the UNM band program for help. LCHs borrowed a sound system from Organ Mountain High School.

Once the calls were made, Fredericks met with his staff, the band and band parents.

“I looked at the kids and asked, ‘Do we go?’ They all said ‘yes!’ So we loaded up the bus and we left,” he said.

Fredericks, his students and staff put together a plan during the bus ride, while band parents were picking up instruments and equipment and driving them to Albuquerque.

With percussionists and sousaphone players performing with borrowed instruments, the band finished fourth in the fiesta’s preliminary round of 24 bands.

“It just felt very weird,” Luke said about playing on a bass drum borrowed from NMSU instead of the one he’d been playing at LCHS. But he was able to put that aside and “focus on the music and the movement and give my all for that performance,” Luke said. “We all had to make do with what we had. I thought we all gave it out best shot. That we were able to play at all was just so great. I’m extremely grateful for how supportive everyone has been despite the incredibly unfortunate circumstances.”

“The big thing is they just got to play,” said Fred Bugbee. “It’s all about the kids. It’s all about getting them to perform. Everybody just wanted to pitch in.”

Fredericks said the Albuquerque police located the stolen truck while the band was at dinner Saturday night, before the fiesta’s final round. The thieves had taken “anything electronic,” Frederick said, including a sound board, synthesizer, speakers, microphones, cables and cords – but left instruments and other equipment undamaged, including color-guard silks created especially for the band.

“We were very lucky,” Frederick said. “They only took what they could sell.”

With instruments restored, the LCHS Marching Band finished seventh in the fiesta finals – meeting their goal of a top-10 finish.

“The kids more than rose to the occasion,” Frederick said, “with lots of help. The support’s been immense,” he said.

Frederick is putting together a list of the stolen items, which he valued at about $30,000, for an insurance claim. He also has bought and borrowed equipment so the band can play at a football game this weekend and compete in an upcoming band tournament.

You can donate to the band at www.lchsshowcaseband.com.