Bands earn third Sweepstakes Award in a row
The Pea Ridge Middle School and High School bands earned the ASBOA Sweepstakes Award for the third year in a row.
Each high school band in Arkansas attends their region marching and concert assessments in October and March to perform for judges who give each band a rating. The highest score a band can receive from a judge is a first division rating of “superior.” High school bands that receive a superior rating during marching season and concert season, earn a sweepstakes award. This is the highest award a band can earn each school year from the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association, the state’s governing body for instrumental music. Middle school bands only participate in the spring concert assessment.
The region assessment was hosted by Bentonville High School on Friday, March 10, in the Arend Arts Center. All of the day’s performances were broadcast live on KURM radio. Each band performs a march and two other tunes that they can choose from a prescribed list. Three judges listen to each band in their stage performance offering critiques and comments and then giving each band a rating. After the stage performance, each band is required to go into another room and sight read a piece of music they have never seen before for a single judge. Each band that receives a first division rating on stage and in sight reading earns a sweepstakes award.
This is the third time and third year in a row both the Pea Ridge Middle and High School bands have achieved this rating.
The Middle School band under the direction of Matt McCool performed at 12:20 p.m. Friday. Their march was entitled “Macarena,” followed by “Colliding Visions” and “Corps of Discovery.” The High School band, under the direction of Kevin Hume, performed later that evening. Their opening tune was a circus march called “The Big Cage,” followed by “Greenwillow Portrait” and “American Riversongs.”
The bands will now turn their focus to solo and ensemble contest April 25 and the annual spring band concert on Tuesday, May 2, in the high school gym at 6:30 p.m. That concert will include the beginning band and High School jazz band as well.
The High School band is scheduled travel to Hot Springs Saturday, May 6, to participate in a music festival at the Magic Springs amusement park.