Twenty-four students. Two dozen instruments. One historic homecoming night.
For the first time in 20 years, Cody High School’s marching band took the field Friday night, and the performance brought the crowd to its feet.
The revival was made possible by a $439,000 grant supporting five Detroit public schools, funding everything from tutoring and meals to music lessons. For Cody, it meant bringing back a program that had been silent since the early 2000s.
“It felt amazing,” one student said. “It makes me feel like I’m a part of something much bigger than myself.”
The man behind the revival? Band director Damian Lyles, who moved back home to Detroit from Florida specifically to restore the program. He’s on a mission to revive Detroit’s rich marching band tradition, where schools once competed not just in sports, but in music.
“To see them grow, not just musically, but even in maturity—it’s a great reward,” Lyles said.
For decades, marching bands were the soundtrack of Detroit schools until funding cuts silenced the music. Now, Cody High is bringing that luster back, one note at a time.
