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Sperry Band Does Well at All-District Auditions

January 26, 2018

Sperry Band Students Take Several Seats in All-District Bands

Sperry High School Band and Middle School Band each participated in the Mid-East Oklahoma Band Directors Association (MEOBDA) auditions for All-District Band.  Over 1200 students from 33 different schools participated in the auditions for a position on one of three different bands, 7th Grade All-District Band, Junior High All-District Band for 8^th and 9^th grade students, and High School All-District Band for students in 10^th through 12th grades.  Each of the three All-District Bands will seat around 90 to 95 students.  The instrumentation will be slightly different for each band.

Students are given a required list of audition materials to prepare for the audition.  On audition day, each instrumental section competes anonymously for two judges who listen to the performers from behind a screen.  With only the assigned number for the participants and unable to see the students performing, the judges base their scores completely on the quality of the instrumental section’s ability to perform the required piece.  After each set of participants has been heard and scored by the judges the students with the highest scores are seated on the All-District Band for their grade group.  The students with the highest scores in each All-District Band earn the principle seat in the section.

A total of nine of Sperry’s 7^th Grade Band students earned positions on the 7th Grade All-District Band: Lindsey Seymour, Jade Martinez, Elin Williams, Emory Edgar, Jace Million, Lizzy Riggs, and Claire Dick all have a seat on the All-District Band.  Two students, Kaleigh Grumbles and Abbie Anquoe, each earned first chair in their sections.

The 8^th and 9^th grade students of the Sperry Junior High Band proved themselves to be among the areas best as every Sperry 8^th and 9^th grade student who auditioned earned a seat on the All-District Junior High Band.  Seth Anquoe, Wyatt Heitkamp, MiKayla O'Field, and Sadie Smith all took a seat on the Junior High All-District Band, and two Sperry students, Jared Lytle and Zander Ford, each have first chair in their respective areas.

Three Sperry High School Band students earned a seat in the High School All-District Band: Kelli Garrison, Josh Sutherland and Tucker Smith.  In addition to these, Donald Garrison and Alex Martin were chosen as first and second alternates.

These students will attend a one and a half day clinic on February 5th and 6th at Oologah High School.  The All-District Bands will perform a free concert on February 6^th in the Oologah Auditorium.

Sperry High School Band Director Mrs. Alane King noted, “It is a great honor to have students chosen to perform with this group, and to have so many of them make it is of the highest honor indeed.  We are proud of them and appreciate their hard work and dedication to developing their musical skills.”

Middle School Band Director Mrs. Makayla West added, These students have worked hard all year.  It’s great to see them get such a great reward of that effort.”