PRHS and Middle School bands earn sweepstakes
The middle school and high school bands earned their first ever Arkansas School Band and Orchastra Association Sweepstakes Award on Friday, March 13, at Bentonville High School. Both bands participated in the annual ASBOA Region 6 Concert Assessment that is held every spring semester.
Bands from the region attend this contest each year to earn ratings from three judges who critique each band’s stage performance as well as a rating from a sight reading judge. Both Pea Ridge bands earned a first division rating of “Superior” from all four judges. The judges are all band directors from other parts of the state. The three stage performance judges were: Tim Cunningham, Conway H.S. (retired); Karen Dismuke, North Pulaski H.S. (retired); and Bill Ratcliff, Alma H.S. The sight reading judge was Ken Williams, Malvern High School.
The region assessment lasted for three days — Thursday through Saturday on KURM radio for those students with family who were unable to attend the concert during work day hours.
In order for high school bands to qualify for a chance earn a sweepstakes award, they have to earn a first division rating at the region marching assess- Del Borgo and “Moscow, 1941” by Brian Balmages.
Middle school bands can earn a sweepstakes award for receiving a first division rating without having to attend the fall marching assessment. The middle school band also performed two tunes on stage: “Plaza de Toros” by to another room and sight read and perform a piece of music that the band and the director have never seen and earn a rating from the sight reading judge. Earning both school’s first sweepstakes award was the number one goal for both high school director Monty Hill and middle school di- band students and 48 high school band students involved.
Hill and McCool continue to work hard increasing quantity and quality in the band program. Last month, 105 fifth-grade students were interviewed and tested on various instruments in order to enroll for begin-