Band hopes for sixth trip to state

The Sisters High School band took second at the annual Capital Conference Band Festival at North Marion High on Wednesday, April 6.

Sisters scored 262 out of 300, just two points shy of North Marion’s (NM) first place finish.

Director Jody Henderson said, “We were excited to perform a well prepared program and particularly excited about one of the selections we’d worked up entitled ‘The Vengeance’ by Belgian composer Andre Wagnein. It is over 10 minutes long and is packed with musical content which the students really loved working on.”

Sisters tied with NM in the prepared performance portion of the competition. The three judges awarded Sisters scores of 71-75-75 and awarded NM 70-75-76.

After each band performs their prepared program they continue on to the sight reading portion of the event. Each band plays an unknown selection of music straight through from start to finish.

In that portion of the competition Sisters scored 41 and North Marion 43 which created a two-point tie-breaker situation that according to Henderson was an Outlaw disappointment.

“The only regret which the students have is scoring low in the sight reading sub-category of discipline where we only earned six out of 10 points,” Henderson said.

“We use an efficient strategy in the sight reading room which judges usually recognize as a very disciplined approach. We’re very organized about the way we enter and exit the room and how we use the little time we have to talk about the sight reading selection we are asked to perform.”

Henderson told The Nugget that the students were so eager to do well in this area that they communed about the music during a part of the process where they should have been sitting quietly and so only scored six points in an area where they regularly score eight or nine.

The band did qualify for “consideration for the state band contest” because they scored 75 or higher from two of the three judges. In this situation the band will send in a tape to audition for a spot at the band championships.

Bands that earn first place at District with scores of 75 or higher from two of the three judges automatically get a spot at State which Henderson said was a luxury Sisters has had the previous four years.

On Wednesday, April 20, the band participated in the Redmond festival and scored a 76 and 77 and were the top scoring 3A band at the event.

Unfortunately, the Redmond festival isn’t Sisters’ OSAA league and the top score does not assure an automatic berth to the state championships.

On the positive side, the band got a good recording and sent it in for the state audition. There are eight OSAA leagues and 12-14 3A bands scheduled into the State Band festival annually, so Sisters is definitely keeping optimistic thoughts about the audition.

If Sisters is invited back to the state competition it will mark their sixth consecutive year.