Marching band community bands together to support Vandegrift High after train hit band trailer

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Dozens of high school marching bands from across Texas are competing against each other this week for the University Interscholastic League's State Marching Band Contest. But several of them have banded together to show their support for one high school band in particular after it faced an unfortunate setback.

While en route to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the competition on Monday, the Vandegrift High School band equipment trailer was hit by a train, causing damage to the trailer and several instruments inside.

According to a letter posted by Vandegrift Principal Charlie Little, the trailer was stuck on train tracks when it was hit by the train. The driver and passenger were both able to get out of the cab of the trailer before the collision, the letter noted. No injuries were reported.

The letter also stated that no students were present or witnessed the crash, as they'd already been dropped off at the Alamodome, and the crash happened along a route that the student buses did not follow.

Little's letter said the bulk of the instruments remained intact, and the main damage was to the trailer's cab. Vandegrift's percussion director told KXAN that three marimbas and four vibraphones were "damaged beyond repair" in the collision.

UIL agreed to let Vandegrift perform later in the evening Monday. According to a Leander ISD spokesperson, while the equipment was being unloaded from the damaged trailer and inspected for use, other high school bands offered to lend instruments for Vandegrift to use during their performance.

"It is truly humbling to see this community of high school musicians pull together to support one another," the spokesperson said via email. "VHS placed 2nd in the prelims and will compete in the finals today in San Antonio."

Vandegrift marching band supported by several others

The Vandegrift band made posts on Instagram and Facebook following the incident, saying that no one was injured, while thanking the band community. The Instagram post received over 4,000 likes and more than 80 comments, and the Facebook post received nearly 900 likes, more than 50 comments, and 20 shares.

TxBands.com, a platform that shares updates about Texas high school bands, shared a post on Facebook that showed the Vandegrift band getting ready to perform a few hours after the incident.

"The damage was something no band program should see," the post said, referring to the collision. "Five hours later, here they are heading to warm up thanks to overwhelmingly generous support from multiple programs who donated equipment, electronics, and compassion at the last second. The kids are safe, excited, and most of all, thankful for the opportunity to perform tonight."

"The band community is a special one. Never forget that," the post concluded.

That post received thousands of likes and shares, and hundreds of comments echoing the sentiment of the last sentence of the post.

One woman, Monica Hollins, commented, "As a Vandegrift parent, I am overwhelmed by the love and support from our incredible band community. As a freshman parent, I’m truly blown away by the kindness and unity shown tonight."

Hollins said her daughter's instrument was destroyed in the collision, but thanks to the bands that stepped up to lend equipment, she was still able to perform. "The band family is simply amazing—the love, compassion, and teamwork on display were unforgettable," she said in the comment. KXAN has reached out to Hollins and will update this story if we receive a response.

According to Leander ISD, Leander High School, Flower Mound High School from the Dallas area, and Claudia Taylor Johnson High School from San Antonio lent equipment to Vandegrift.

Hollins also noted that the Leander High School band sent their band's trailer to San Antonio to help Vandegrift transport theirs home.

The Leander High School Band posted on social media praising its volunteer rig driver, Miguel, who went to San Antonio early to help Vandegrift. The post said that Miguel doesn't have a student in the band, but he "does it because he loves it," and "always shows up for our band community without hesitation."

The Leander ISD Fine Arts Instagram also posted a "thank you" message to the Leander High School Marching Band for helping Vandegrift.

Vandegrift performed in the finals round of the state competition at 4 p.m. Tuesday.