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While some HBCU bands have been performing for decades, others are relatively new, with The Talladega College's "Great Tornado Band" getting its start in 2012. Established just 12 years ago, Band Director Adrian Thompson says the band was created to help boost enrollment numbers.It's now the biggest organization on campus, with more than 100 active members. >> STUDENT SUCCESS: How HBCU scholarships have paved a path for half a million recipients"People don't expect little ole Talladega to have this high-energy and high-intensity band," Thompson said. "We all we got" is a message that sticks with marching band members like Warren Ramos, who plays the mellophone. "For all the people that have ever marched in the HBCU band, everyone that ever played an instrument, everyone that wanted to do something like this," Ramos said. "Everyone who couldn't do something like this didn't get that opportunity. I'm doing this for them." >> COMPELLING ORIGINS: How a one-room schoolhouse became one of the most acclaimed colleges in the southeastWhile its counterparts across the state are marching during halftime shows each fall, the Great Tornado Band has a unique challenge since the school does not have a football team. "Without a football team, we don't really have consistent performances," Thompson said. "We try to hold dearly to everything that we do throughout the year." Despite the challenge, the band still finds a way to make its name known across the world. >> ATHLETIC EXPANSION: How Talladega College is leveling the playing field with its new gymnastics program"We've covered a lot of ground such as halftime shows, NBA halftime shows, presidential inauguration, the London New Year's Day Parade," Thompson said. "We do all of the major battles of the bands across the nation." Their impact is also felt throughout the state. The Great Tornado Band was one of many HBCU bands invited to perform at the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's "Momentum Symposium," a Black History Month event designed to inspire budding musicians in schools across the state.Many young musicians attended the event. Ramsay High School orchestra director Rachel Christmas hopes it opened their mind to new opportunities. >> STEEPED IN TRADITION: A look at the economic and cultural impact of HBCU Springcoming"They can know that this type of music is accessible to them, and people that look like them and come from the background they come from are supposed to be in these rooms and supposed to be in these spaces," Christmas said.As for the great tornado band, the plan is simple: keep the momentum going on and off campus."Even when people don't believe in us, we will keep marching on. For the people that do believe in us," Thompson said. "We will keep marching on because you believed in us."