Ballou, a documentary film

Ballou is a documentary film about the Ballou Senior High School Marching Band

from South East Washington DC. Ballou High School is a struggling inner city school where only

5% of its students go on after high school and graduate college. During the filming of this

documentary 58 violent crimes occured within 1500 feet of the school and our producer

was robbed at knife point and beaten on the door steps of another DC public school.

The Ballou Marching Band is a positive force in the lives of the students and in the

community. Under the direction of Mr. Darrell Watson, along with the help from his

tireless, all volunteer staff, the Ballou Marching Band gives its students opportunities

that they would not have otherwise had. Mr. Watson tries to instill, “life lessons,” as

well as simply teaching music to give them the tools they need to succeed in life. Listen

to this great WAMU radio audio clip on the Ballou Marching Band.

The breadth of the documentary follows the band on a journey from band camp,

to the National High Stepping Marching Band Competition in Birmingham, AL sponsored

by Asymmetrix. It is a very personal story about the lives of the band members,

the director Mr. Watson, and his hard working staff who are all striving to be an award

winning marching band.

"Every school should have a band! " - DC Mayor Adrian Fenty