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GBMS bands busy last nine weeks
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Pictured are the following students at the GBMS “Performance Night” on Feb. 26: Front row: Sahara Rziha, Haley McCormick, Natalie Williams, Eva Ramirez and Jordan Boyer. Second row: Ian Jennings, Jordan Brough, Samantha Mayers, Kimberly Escopedo Valdez, Emilee Nelson and Mya Ward. Back row: Rowan Orth Johnson, Ty Boone, Angel Palacio and Cristian Lujan.

The band students at Great Bend Middle School have been keeping busy this past nine weeks with performances, clinics and contests. 

First, the GBMS Jazz Band traveled to Hutchinson on Feb. 1, to take part in the Bryce Luty Jazz Festival at Hutchinson Community College. The jazz band had a great performance and then a clinic with Neal Alsup, one of the festival adjudicators. Several students received “Outstanding Performer Awards.” They were: Ian Jennings, trumpet; Haley McCormick, alto saxophone; Brantley Schaffer, trumpet; and Natalie Williams, alto saxophone.

Then, on Feb. 12 ,the seventh and eighth grade bands, along with the jazz band, had their winter concert. On Feb. 20 the seventh and eighth grade bands had their in-house music festival where Marcus Bishop, a retired band director from Hays, worked with the bands and gave them ideas on how to improve their performance.

On Feb. 26, several soloists and ensemble members performed for the Performance Night at the middle school. Then, on March 1, the eighth grade band along with soloists and small ensemble members traveled to Dodge City Middle School to take part in the Western Athletic Conference Middle School Music Festival. The band received a “I” rating or “outstanding” from all three judges at the festival. Also, all of our instrumentalists received “I” ratings for their solo performances. The two small ensembles received a “II” or “excellent” rating on their performances.

Soloists included: Mya Ward, flute; Ty Boone, Haley McCormick, Angel Palacio, Sahara Rziha and Natalie Williams, alto saxophone; Jordan Brough and Ian Jennings, trumpet; and Rowan Orth Johnson, snare drum. The two saxophone trios included Haley McCormick, Ellyson Somers, Sahara Rziha, and Natalie Williams, Ty Boone and Angel Palacio.

Band directors for these students are Don Regehr and Mark DeWald.