PORT ALLEN, La. - For Port Allen High's season opener against Brusly, a buzz went through the visitors' bleachers. The Band of Blue had arrived. Dozens and dozens of band students filed into position. But this band hasn't always been this size.When Colyn Carlos took a job as assistant director of t he Port Allen High School Band, also known as the Band of Blue, he had a lot of work to do.Three years ago, student membership had fallen to almost single digits."Back in 2023, we originally started off with about 10 members," said Carlos. "I was just thinking it's going to be a lot of work. And then, over time, we started expanding our outreach into Port Allen Middle School. And over time, we've grown from 10 members to 23, to 46, and this year we have about 86 members."With the band's numbers off life support and thriving, the band has gained some outside attention. They've been invited to perform in Normandy, France, for the D-Day Commemoration in 2027.Carlos, now the director of the band, couldn't believe it.This is probably one of the biggest opportunities I've ever had. With the growth of the program, I really feel like these students deserve to have opportunities to be able to take our talents and represent not only Port Allen, but also West Baton Rouge and Louisiana as a whole wherever we go."Permalink| Comments ...read more read less