Pea Ridge band scores superior rating
The Pea Ridge Band’s marching competition season began on Saturday, Oct. 7, when Pea Ridge hosted the fourth annual Pea Ridge Blackhawk Marching Classic in Blackhawk Stadium.
Eight high school bands attended the contest: West Fork, Russellville, Prairie Grove, Heritage, Green Forest, Gravette, Berryville and Gentry. Pea Ridge performed in exhibition. Each band competed in their class according to their size with Gentry High School being crowned the champion. The evening was highlighted by the Lyon College Band located in Batesville, under the direction of former Pea Ridge director Monty Hill, performed in exhibition after all the competing bands had performed.
The following Saturday, Oct. 14, the band attended the War Eagle Marching Classic at Rogers-Heritage High School. This contest for many years has been one of the premier contests in northwest Arkansas. Bands travel from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas to this contest each year to compete. This contest has two rounds, a preliminary round and a final round for the top eight scoring bands. Pea Ridge has attended this contest many times in the past, and for the first time was selected as one of the finalist bands placing fourth overall.
Pea Ridge won first place in their class and was the top scoring band in all categories: music, marching technique, general effect, color guard and percussion. Senior Garrett Lang was awarded best drum major in class and sophomore Laura Hume was awarded best soloist.
The ASBOA Region 6 Marching assessment was the following Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Rogers High School. The band scored a first division “superior” rating for the fourth year in a row, and is eligible for the ASBOA Sweepstakes award in the spring for bands who receive a superior rating in marching and concert band assessments, which the band has done the past three years in a row.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, the band traveled to Siloam Springs and attended the Northwest Arkansas Invitation Marching Competition and placed fifth overall in the final standings. They once again won their class and were first in all categories.
On Monday, Oct. 30, the band traveled to Little Rock to compete in the ASBOA State Marching Contest in War Memorial Stadium. More than 30 bands across the state in classes 1A, 2A and 3A performed with Pea Ridge competing in class 3A. There were 21 bands in class 3A and Pea Ridge placed 15th. This was just the second year for Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association (ASBOA) to host a state marching contest and the first year for Pea Ridge to participate.
The band’s competition show is entitled “Music After Dark.” Each tune has “night” as the theme including: “Tonight” from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, “Music of the Night” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, and “Some Nights” by the pop group Fun. The band featured many soloists and duets including: Laura Hume, Ashley Hansen, Jose Zaragoza, Morgan Rowlee, Aden Christensen, Stephanie Harris, Joseph Sanders, Dominic Bott, Corra Wilson, Colby Willett and Prissy Hall.
The band program will have its annual Winter Concert on Monday, Dec. 4, in the high school gym at 6:30 p.m. All band students sixth through 12th grade will perform including the beginning band, the seventh- and eighth-grade concert bands and the high school symphonic band. Attendance is free and open to the public.