Notes from the Podium- April 11th

Wow! A whole bunch of quality music-making has happened since my last post. Congratulations to everyone on great performances! I cannot express to you how proud I am of the music you have been making. It is nice that the ratings have been so high, but it's even nicer that we can sit back and appreciate the art that we create. The talent inside of the Benton Cardinal Bands is truly amazing. I know that Ms. Nelson and I always feel truly blessed in front of you, and we always enjoy the time that we get to work with you.

To make sure that your ratings are known to all-

Performances receiving an Excellent (II) rating at District Solo/Ensemble Contest were:

Danny Evans, trumpet solo

Zach Langdon, French horn solo

Taylor Snider, snare drum solo

Denise Stumpff, clarinet solo

Lindsay Williams, snare drum solo

Performances receiving a Superior (I) rating and qualifying for State included:

Benton Percussion Ensemble- Brittany Boggess, Keegan Cunningham, Taylor Snider, Morgan Wheeler, Lindsay Williams, Kyle Woodruff

Benton Sax Trio- Travis McClatchey, Ally Sexton, Mike Sewell

Benton Trumpet Trio- Jordan Bullimore, Danny Evans, Sam Stephan

Jordan Bullimore, trumpet solo

Ailing Oka, flute solo

Mike Sewell, tenor sax solo

Sean Sherlock, clarinet solo

Taylor Snider, mallet solo

Sam Stephan, trumpet solo

Lindsay Williams, mallet solo

In addition to this, the Benton Concert Band accomplished something very special. For your performance at State Large Group, you received the first overall Superior (I) rating that Benton has received for band in 17 years! I cannot tell you how happy everyone is for your achievement. Of course, I still feel that rating music-making is not a great practice- it sure is nice to get good ratings. Thanks for making the school band look even better on paper to people that do not get to hear you.

There is still so much to do for the rest of the school year. Please clear these dates below:

April 15th- Concert band plays for ROTC Review at Benton High School

April 22nd- Jazz band plays for Teacher's Recognition Dinner

April 29th-30th- Students qualifying for State Solo/Ensemble play in Columbia, MO

May 1st- Marching Band in Apple Blossom Parade as part of All-City Band

May 10th- Jazz Band Concert at Benton High School 7 PM

May 11th- Concert Band Concert at Benton High School 7 PM

May 18th- Band Awards Dinner

May 23rd- Band performs as part of Benton Commencement- 3:30 PM