Special to The TIMES
The Blackhawk Band this fall has continued the success of last year's history making marching season. Last year they scored a first division rating of "Superior" at their region marching assessment for the first time in school history and extended that to their region concert assessment in earning a sweepstakes award for scoring a superior rating for both marching and concert assessment. The band received a score of superior at the Region 6 Marching Assessment last month on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Rogers High School.
The band's halftime/competition show is themed "Music of the Heart." It has a short story that goes along with the music in the color guard featuring senior Lorrie Klein and junior Eric Moyer as they experience the trials and tribulations of a "teenage relationship," and how quickly things change. The show begins with a famous piano tune by Hoagy Carmichael from 1938 called "Heart and Soul." This tune is performed by the band's pit, or rhythm section, with junior soloist Dominique Burwell on the flute as the band marches onto the field into their opening set. The band's opening tune "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," made famous by Elton John and Kiki Dee in 1976, starts with senior Zach Bowie on the sousaphone, followed by senior drum major Alan Sicairos and senior Kallie Koon performing a duet on trombone and trumpet, respectively. The mood shifts to Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker," featuring senior Hunter Chestnut in a fiery guitar solo followed by senior Johnathon Schwyhart on bass guitar and sophomore Prissy Hall on the drums. The closing tune is Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" and its famous lyric line "shot through the heart, and you're to blame" featuring sophomore Colby Willett on the trumpet. At the end of the show, guard member Eric Moyer has lost his love and leaves the field to the pit keyboards playing "One is the Loneliest Number" by Three Dog Night.
The Pea Ridge Band hosted its second annual "Blackhawk Marching Classic" Oct. 10, sponsored by Arvest Bank. The number of participants more than doubled from last year including: Berryville, Cotter, Dover, Gentry, Gravette, Green Forest, Greenland, Rogers-Heritage, Lincoln, Muskogee and Prairie Grove. Muskogee was crowned the grand champion for the second year in a row. The band attended the "War Eagle Classic" the following Saturday on October 17th at Rogers-Heritage High School. Senior Alan Sicairos was awarded "Outstanding Drum Major" in their class. After the Region Marching Assessment, the band participated in the Siloam Springs Invitation Marching Competition on October 24th. The band placed second in their class and the color guard won "Outstanding Guard." The band also participated in the first "Veteran's Day Parade" on Saturday, November 7th.
The band program is under the direction of new high school director, Kevin Hume, Matt McCool and Sarah-Beth Eubanks.
Hume comes from Ozark High School where he has spent the first 12 years of his career building a competitive band program. He said he is excited about the opportunity to teach in Pea Ridge. Hume and his wife Amy, who teaches third grade at the Intermediate School, have four children, Laura, Elijah, Isabella and Shelby.
Mrs. Eubanks is the school's new choir director and color guard instructor for the marching band.
The band has now shifted to concert band season and will have their first concert at 6 p.m. Dec. 15, in the High School Gym. The Winter Concert will feature the entire band program; the High School Band, seventh/eighth grade Middle School Band, sixth-grade beginning band and the High School Jazz Band. Admission is free and open to the public.
Community on 11/25/2015