Pictured here are (from left) Dylan Hurt, Tesher Robinson, Jeffrey Eubanks, Gracie Blankenship, Evan Stoots, Laken Barnette, Emily Phillips, Sydney Joseph, Makenna Stuart, Daniel Eubanks, Jah-Sur Mumin, Kaleb Barnette. Not pictured is Maddie Taylor.
Members of the Pulaski County High School and Pulaski County Middle School bands were recently in competition as a part of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) All-District event. Several Pulaski County students excelled in the event, earning a chance to audition for the All-State Band.
"Last weekend, these nine students had the privilege of representing Pulaski County High School at the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association's All-District Band event for District 7,” PCHS Band Director Kevin Faller said. “The students earned their spot by auditioning back in December at John Battle High School. They audition for a spot with students from each school in District 7.”
District 7 includes the cities of Bristol, Fries, Galax and Norton, along with the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe. District 7 members are also a part of the South-Central Region, with members of Districts 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 13.
“There are two ensembles that students can be placed in on the Senior High School level; Concert Band and Symphonic Band, with Symphonic Band being the top ensemble out of the entire event,” Faller said. “Three of our students placed in the Concert Band and six of our students placed in the Symphonic Band.”
“Students in each ensemble received music at the event on Friday, for the first time, and prepared during rehearsals all that day and Saturday,” he continued. “Saturday concluded the event with a performance from all ensembles. These performances were all fantastic and really showcased the talents of our students and the students in District 7.”
In addition to the high school students involved, several middle school students were also able to make the trip and compete. In all, there were nine students from the high school and four from the middle school in attendance.
Three of those students ranked high enough to qualify to audition for the All-State Band February 25 at James Madison University. Those students are Emily Phillips (junior, Flute), Jeffrey Eubanks (junior, Clarinet), and Evan Stoots (sophomore, Trumpet).
The other high school students who competed were Dylan Hurt (senior, French Horn), Jah sur Mu min (senior, Tuba), Gracie Blankenship (junior, Trumpet), Laken Barnette (junior, Saxophone), Maddie Taylor (junior, Clarinet), and Makenna Stuart (freshman, Clarinet).
“For our high school students, they will be traveling to Harrisonburg February 25 to audition, along with the top-ranking students from each of the 16 Districts, for a spot in the All-State Band,” Faller said. “I'm incredibly proud of these performers and love seeing them showcase their talents at these events!"
Pulaski County Middle School students who attended were Kaleb Barnette (8th grade, Trumpet), Sydney Joseph (8th grade, Clarinet), Tesher Robinson (8th grade, Tuba), and Daniel Eubanks (7th grade, Saxophone).
“Last weekend four students from PCMS participated in the All-District Band for our VBODA District, District 7, which ranges from here to the Western end of the state,” PCMS Band Director Isaac Petty said. “The participants from all the schools were selected through an audition process that occurred back in December. The students had two days to prepare music and, along with students from other bands in the district, put on a big concert. There were four different bands, two of which the middle school students were eligible to audition for. Those were the Junior Concert and Junior Symphonic band. I am proud of these wonderful musicians and hope to inspire many more students from PCMS to audition next year!”