Middle School Band is growing

Photograph submitted Pea Ridge Middle School Band is growing.
Photograph submitted Pea Ridge Middle School Band is growing.

Special to The TIMES

The Middle School Band program is rapidly growing in numbers. Last month, over 100 sixth-grade beginners joined the Middle School and High School bands for the first ever "Band Night" at Blackhawk Stadium on Oct. 3. All 200 plus band students performed during pre-game of the Friday night football game against Lincoln under the direction of High School director Monty Hill and Middle School director Matt McCool. The band students covered almost the entire football field and performed five tunes for the crowd before moving into the stands and performing together during the first half of the game.

Last May, the High School Band performed a recruiting concert at the Intermediate School to draw interest for the band. Initially, 125 out of approximately 160 fifth-grade students signed up for band. Middle School principal Matt Wood worked hard to create a class schedule to help the growing number of beginners and a need for like instrument classes. The sixth grade beginning band is divided into three separate classes; a woodwind class for flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones and French horns; a brass class for trumpets, trombones and baritones; and a percussion class.

"Having like instrument classes really helps with a beginning band students' growth as a young musician," McCool said.

The beginning band still maintains over 100 students. This will lead to a growth in numbers for the Middle School Band, as well as the High School Band over the next several years. Hill and McCool expect the numbers in the high school band to reach nearly 60 students next year from the current 45. Hill set those expectations when hired in May to increase the number of students participating in band as well as raising the quality and difficulty of the music each of the bands perform.

The seventh and eighth grade Middle School Band has taken several opportunities to perform this fall, including performing at the last three junior high home football games on Thursday nights. They have learned a number of stand tunes to perform in the bleachers during the games with the assistance of a select few high school band students there to help support and teach the younger band students. This has created a connection and some camaraderie between the middle and high school band students. It really helps with retention as the eighth-graders transition to high school, they will have a better knowledge of what to expect in the high school band.

Several of the eighth-grade students are members of an equipment crew for the high school band at Friday night games, home and away, as well as marching contests. This group of eighth graders were selected by McCool in September to help with sound equipment for the half time show as well as stands and equipment for the band. The crew named themselves the "Band Aids." They are Cailey Bowie, Sarah Watts, Destiny Allen, Josh Bowman, Italia Reyes, Malia Self, Amanda Lay, Breanna Brungardt and Ashley Hansen.

The seventh- and eighth-grade Middle School band currently has 50 members, increased from 31 last school year. In addition to the three football games, the Middle School Band performed for the middle school's first pep rally in several years on Thursday, Oct. 30, along with the Jr. High Cheerleaders. The band is now preparing for the annual Winter Band Concert to take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the high school gymnasium. Admission is free to the public.

McCool and Mr. Hill have been teaching after school lessons on Thursdays to the middle school students in 20-minute increments for those students who want one-on-one instruction to prepare for All-Region Honor Band auditions which will take place in December. Hill has started a sponsorship program to raise funds for private lessons with local musicians in the northwest Arkansas area so all band students will have an opportunity to take lessons with a professional musician on their respective instruments. This program has the potential to raise the number of band students selected to the All-Region and All-State Bands.

Hill has a consistent history of helping 90 percent of his graduating seniors at his past schools of employment earn band scholarships to college. The potential for Pea Ridge graduates of the band program to get scholarships will increase greatly with the sponsorship lesson program. To find out how to help with the private lesson sponsorship program, you may contact Monty Hill at [email protected] or by calling the middle school office.

Community on 11/19/2014