TRAVERSE CITY -- -- Lisa Wehr is a marching band wanna-be.
So when her son joined the Traverse City West Senior High marching band, Wehr did too. Sort of.
The digital marketing executive followed the band through an entire season to create a 45-minute documentary called "Step & Close." She even got to go to summer band camp with the marching Titans.
Wehr said she made the film because she felt the band was "underappreciated." Now her goal is to raise funds and awareness for the Traverse City middle school and high school band programs through DVD sales of the film -- and to market the film to other band programs for use as a recruiting tool.
"I think this program needs more special kids. It creates special kids," said Wehr, whose OneUpWeb company put in 1,000 hours to complete the film. "Our goal was to sex band up."
The documentary follows the band as it rehearses for football season and performs on the sidelines, in the stands and at halftime shows. It stresses the hard work involved in learning and perfecting the routines, often for less-than-attentive crowds.
"People view halftime as their chance to grab a hotdog," Wehr said before a VIP screening of the film Nov. 19 at the State Theatre.
The film also focuses other things playing in a band can offer -- from character- and team-building to better scores on SAT tests.
"If you're involved in music, you just do better," said Flournoy Humphreys, director of bands at West Middle School. "It links you to so many other areas of your education."
"Being connected to something, belonging to something in school, is best for kids," added Pat Brumbaugh, director of bands at West Senior High.
Brumbaugh said her own passion for band and conducting was fueled by a middle school band director who later intervened with her parents on her behalf.
"The reason I feel so strongly about this is that it changed my life," she said, adding that her family didn't believe in upper education for girls. "I don't know what I would have done but I know I probably wouldn't have gone to college, I wouldn't be successful. It changed everything."
The band directors are among several teachers, coaches and school administrators who are interviewed in the film. Band students, including section leaders, also are featured in sometimes funny bits.
"Chop wood, carry water," the band shouts in one segment, as it lines up in formation on the field. The phrase is a favorite of Humphreys', who grooms her middle school students for future roles with Brumbaugh's high school band.
"It's another way of saying, 'Work hard,'" said Humphreys, who played drums at a time when "nice Southern girls didn't join marching band."
Mallory and Kevin Kaysserian are both on the Titans' drum line, which Mallory helps lead. The 17-year-old junior is prominently featured in the video, which mom Donna Kaysserian got to view first.
"I'm so excited. I'm afraid I'm going to cry," said Kaysserian before the VIP screening.
An enthusiastic booster who often takes her own pictures of the band and posts them on Facebook, Kaysserian said the marching band has given both her children more confidence.
"When they come in, they don't know what they're going to do until their first show and the audience applauds and they're like, 'Wow, this is what we worked for,'" she said.
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Justin Bieber Accused of Assaulting Photographer - Glen Walker reports
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Long Story Short: Beyonce back on stage
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China
Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7
Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges
Has Snooki Named Her Baby?
Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend
Beyonce Entertains the First Family
