Belton Middle School Band

It was a very busy last week when the Belton MS Band had 3 performances all in the same week! Last Thursday, we had 5 students place in the TMEA All-Region Jazz Band and you can find out all of the details on our website here.

Friday, the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble performed their UIL program for parents and judges to listen and make constructive comments for the upcoming UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation on March 29-30. You can watch their performance here.

On Saturday, we held our 2nd Annual Solo & Ensemble Contest here at BMS. We had over 135 events with 93 First Division Superior ratings given by the judges, 31 Second Division Excellent ratings, and 12 Third Division Average ratings. Students who earned a First Division rating will earn a medal at the End-of-Year Awards Ceremony. Students who earned a Second Division will earn a ribbon, and all students will receive their judge comments sheets back this week.

Overall, we had 14 students who were named Outstanding Performers by the judges and will receive an additional special medal at the end of the year. Please join us in congratulating these students:

1. Ellen Miller, flute
2. Shyam Ramani, flute
3. Kenna Cushman, bassoon
4. Daniel Arroyo, alto saxophone
5. David McCallum, alto saxophone
6. Jakoby Perez, alto saxophone
7. Hope Bovell, trumpet
8. Jesus Espinosa-Terrazas, trumpet
9. Abigail Chapman, horn
10. Nick Iannuccilli, trombone
11. Brianna Snyder, euphonium
12. Abigail Fuller, percussion
13. Emma Harvey, percussion
14. Alyssa Nickerson, percussion

Please help me congratulate the band students listed below who earned a spot in the TMEA All-Region Jazz Band.  These students will get to rehearse with a notable jazz educator and perform all in one day as part of the Temple Jazz Festival in early April.

• Nathan Whitfield placed 1st Chair out of 20 trombones, and is a Concert All-Region Member
• Claire Brown placed 4th Chair trombone
• Charlie Wagner placed 5th Chair trombone, and is a Concert All-Region Member
• Corin Ramesar placed 1st Chair out of 4 pianos, and is a 2-Year Jazz All-Region Member
• Alyssa Nickerson placed 1st Chair out of 6 vibraphones, and is a 2-Year Jazz All-Region Member, AND is a 2-Year Concert All-Region Member
• Jayden Holt placed 6th Chair out of 33 trumpets, and serves as the 1st Alternate, AND is a Concert All-Region Member

After students perform their solo, they can look up their rating using this online database that is organized by class period at the bottom: tinyurl.com/beltonmssolo. 

It is also listed by student ID number for privacy reasons, and feel free to find their ID number now to make sure I included it on the list!  A rating of “1” is for Division I Superior, “2” for Division II Excellent, and “3” for Division III Average.  An asterisk (*) by an ID number means that the student was selected as an Outstanding Performer by the judge.

This database should be especially helpful since students will not get to see their judge’s sheet until next Wednesday the 23rd due to no school next Monday and Tuesday.  Message Mr. Pulley if you have any questions, and we wish our students best of luck and preparation for this solo contest!

Click here to see detailed information for Saturday’s Solo Contest here at BMS. Students received their performance and arrival times yesterday in class, and please let us know if you have any questions.

Click here to find detailed information for Friday’s Pre-UIL Benchmark Concert & Evaluation.  For this concert, students will need to wear their formal concert attire and be prepared with all materials, including music, pencil, and instrument in good working order.  Students will need to take their instrument home after school this Friday in order to bring it to the high school.

Symphonic Band students will need to arrive at the Belton HS Orchestra Room by 5:45pm, while Wind Ensemble students need to arrive at 6:45pm.  This may be the only time family and friends will get to hear our 2022 UIL Performance, so please invite them to attend.  There will be judges listening to us perform and writing comments.  All performing students are required to attend, and this is a required performance for a major grade.  As always, if you have any questions, please let us know.