For the first time in SJHHS history, orchestra received a unanimous Superior rating at the Band and Orchestra Music Festival on March 19, 22, and 23.

Furthermore, Band also acquired a Superior rating in their grade five style piece, having been acknowledged as an auditioning band without actually auditioning.

In the scoring process, the judges rate a sheet per piece of music by rhythm, intonation, musicality and other criterias. They are rated A,B,C, etc. and if most of the pieces receive A’s then the performance is rated as Superior scoring. If most of the pieces are scored as B’s then the rating is Excellent. Continuously, if the majority of pieces are C’s, they are rated as Good.

The training that was put into this festival was extensive. “Members of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra were brought in to work with the band. They came in to spend a three-hour day with the kids and finished off the last hour playing on stage with all the musicians side by side,” said McElroy. This great experience really helped the band because it was just a week before the festival.

For the orchestra, Daniel Walks, from Chapman University and Bob Becker, the principle of the Pacific Symphony came in also to work with them.

The music festival is sponsored by the Southern School Bands and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA). The purpose of the festival is not to necessarily win anything, but more “to receive critical feedback for the growth of the group, and assess through an outside entity whether or not there is improvement in the program,” said Dean McElroy, the band and orchestra teacher at SJHHS.

Altogether, the band and orchestra did a wonderful job and they should be very proud of their accomplishments.