I wish I could get you the direct quote, but it’s lost somewhere, on a scrap of paper, amid the clutter of my “Reporter’s Car” -- which, as a former newspaper writer, I can tell you is not half as bad as that other journalistic icon: the “Photog’s Car.” (You know the expression: “Don’t go there?” Well, we’re talking literally.)

What was it that I just had to write down as I listened to the Kojo Nnamdi radio show on WAMU in Washington, D.C.? It was a quote from Darrell Watson, music director of the Ballou Senior High School Band -- the “Majestic Marching Knights” -- whom Nnamdi was interviewing on a segment about a new documentary film called simply “Ballou.”

I’ll try to paraphrase:

“We don’t have the greatest band in the world or the greatest kids in the world,” Watson said. “But we have a lot of heart.”

Not the greatest in the world? What a refreshing sentiment in this age of American Idol and similar shows, when the purpose of so many pursuits seems to be to achieve fame or be crowned the best.

But there is also joy in the pursuit itself -- in this case, the joy that comes from studying music, playing in an ensemble, and learning about one another. As I drove through Arlington, Va., last week listening to the show, I was touched by what the call-ins -- old timers and students alike -- had to say about the band, the people associated with it, and what it all meant to their lives.

Ballou may not have the best marching band in the world, but it is an extremely good one. Based in Southeast, D.C., a section of the city also known for street violence and poverty (See "The Neighborhood" in ASBJ), the band is testament to the belief that schools -- all schools -- need strong programs in music and the arts.

“Every school should have a band!” D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty says on the film’s website. I couldn’t agree more.

Lawrence Hardy, Senior Editor