Marching band director faces pressure to win like Calipari. His focus is on the kids.

Joey Maggard, a former marching band parent who has observed Lexington’s storied Lafayette High School band and its director Chuck Smith for years, said he would liken the pressures that Smith faces to that of University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

“It is a very competitive world,” said Maggard, a former president of the Lafayette Band Association, which is among the largest parent booster groups in the state. “Year in and year out, the expectation for Lafayette and for Chuck Smith is to be performing during the finals of the state marching band competition. It’s parallel to the same pressures that Coach Calipari faces. If they’re not marching on that Saturday night... there’s something wrong with the world. It’s a huge amount of pressure on him. But he excels in it.”

Smith and those who know him best -- including his wife, his colleagues and Maggard -- all say that the school’s multiple wins, including its 21st Governor’s Cup in late October at the Kentucky State Marching Band Championships, is not what drives him.

The band’s legacy and the infrastructure that has been in place since the school opened in 1939 sometimes creates an inaccurate impression that winning is the goal, Lafayette Principal Bryne Jacobs said. But he said, “one thing I know from just having worked with Mr. Smith for a really long time is that his goal each year is never about winning championships. It’s always about the musicians and the program and making them as good as they can possibly be,”said Jacobs.

Smith told Jacobs that some of the best bands that he had ever worked with did not win the championship.

“I thought that was such a perfect characterization of him,” said Jacobs. “He truly is about making our musicians in the band perform at a level that is as high as possible. The growth that we see (with ) our musicians over the course of the year.. is phenomenal and I think that’s because that’s his focus.”

Smith said his goal for students is for them to “become independent musicians ... to take on the love and power of music and be able to discern and achieve on their own, not only now but after they graduate.”

“He builds an awful lot of leadership skills through that organization,” said Maggard.

“He teaches us well, but he doesn’t over-teach us,” said sophomore Josiah McKinney.

Smith, 55, said he loves “the puzzle part” of putting a band together.

“Every year is a fresh band. Even though you have many of the same students, they are connected in a different way,” Smith said.

Smith doesn’t take credit for the band’s reputation or its legacy. Associate Director of Bands Robert “Dee” Bishop said Smith would probably say that “he’s the current caretaker of that.”

Each year, about 225 students participate in the group that has consistently received top honors in regional, state, and national contests and exhibitions. The band is recognized by national organizations for its marching excellence and its concert excellence.

Lafayette took first place in class 5A at this year’s finals competition. The Kentucky Music Educators Association has been holding the marching competition since 1986. Smith has been the director for 15 of the 21 wins and the band director at Lafayette for 23 years.

The band has also earned the title of Grand Champion in more than 50 competitions during the last 10 years. It participated in the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., and escorted Santa Claus in 1991 and 2002 at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

“It’s rare that a program has lasted this long with that kind of success,” Smith said.

Smith’s wife of 27 years, Edwina, is a former Clays Mill Elementary principal who was a chief of Fayette County elementary schools when she retired. She said they have two sons. Their daughter, who had congenital disabilities, died last year.

Edwina Smith said her husband uses the vehicle of music education to empower students.

“He wants to have an impact on helping students realize what a great individual they can be and that they can be successful in life ... so they can ... make a huge contribution to society. Winning is a wonderful byproduct of what he does for kids, “ Edwina Smith said.

Bishop said he thinks Lafayette’s bands work harder to get over deficiencies: “I’ve not seen anyone out work our group and he’s the leader of that.”

Smith’s work is not confined to Lafayette. He starts each school day with a beginning band class at 8 a.m at Wellington Elementary, then heads to Jessie Clark Middle School where he works with band directors Chris Strange and Jonathan Stites and potentially some of his future students who will attend Lafayette.

At Lafayette, Smith oversees all components of the program -- the marching band, concert bands, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and color guard, with practices sometimes lasting until 6:30 p.m. The marching band and color guard begin their schedule with band camp in July and generally rehearse and perform from August through early November, with practices often occurring for 2 1/2 hours every day.

The booster organization raises $150,000 each year and all parents combined pay an additional total of $160,000, Smith said. Costs include travel and lodging at tournaments and payments to some staff who work with the band.

Smith said it helps that the school’s band parents are selfless.

“You can’t do without them,” he said. They mend uniforms, build props, help feed students, and buy gas for buses. Fundraisers range from working at a bingo parlor to raffles.

Smith said he wouldn’t be successful without assistant Aaron Jones and Bishop. Bishop said Smith pushes students to do things they never thought possible. Parent Beth Potter describes Smith as “strategic.”

“He and his staff don’t guess how to run the program,” said Carole Howell, a Lafayette band parent for 12 years. “They are organized.”

Smith said that before joining the band, some parents and students are intimidated by the time that it requires. He said he tries to impress upon them that the work is not “impossible or terrifically hard.” Once in the band, he said, most say, “‘I get it.’ They really love it.”

Maggard said Smith works to make sure that all kids who want to join the band are participating regardless of their economic situation or other challenges.

“He really cares about the whole band, the program, and all the kids that have taken time to be part of the program,” said junior band student Ally Henry.

Maggard said some of Smith’s former students go on to have careers in bands, in orchestras and in composing. He said some follow in Smith’s footsteps as band directors, “which is probably the biggest compliment he can get.”