On Oct. 6, 2023, the Indiana Bandmasters Association announced students named to local All-District Bands. Gibson Southern had six students selected for the honor: sophomores Symphony Path, Isaac Douglas and Aly Burkett; junior Ava Greene as well as seniors Aiden Loveless and Jacob Dearing.
Those named to the band from Gibson Southern, as well as other area schools, will all prepare, meet and perform a special concert on Nov. 19 at Vincennes University in the Red Skelton Theatre.
“We give these students an opportunity to do something outside of their home school,” said Gibson Southern band director Brent Winstead.
Selection for the band is a lengthy process. To be considered, students’ high school directors must be a member of the Indiana Bandmasters Association. Then, students are able to apply for a spot in All-District.
After that, directors of students who applied received emails from the Bandmasters Association asking them to provide a description of the students’ abilities.
“We have to categorize them on their playing, whether it’s their range of the instrument, sight reading ability, have they been in group one solos in the past for state solo ensemble and do they play first part in our local band?” Winstead said.
Then, if selected, students are required to pay a fee in order to help cover costs for meals, shirts and provided CDs.
Somewhere between 50 and 60 students named to the All-District Band are expected to participate in the upcoming concert.
Douglas is most looking forward to being alongside those that play the same instrument as him, the bassoon.
“Words cannot accurately capture the feeling you get when a piece comes together as beautifully as they do at All-District Band,” Douglas said.
Loveless, who has been named to All-District twice before, is already gearing up for the concert, using time available to him both throughout the school day and on weekends to improve his craft.
“In my applied music class, I have already been running the five pieces to prepare for the upcoming weekend,” Loveless said. “I also plan to practice for hours over the weekend now that my cross country season is over.”
Those that were named are looking forward to the opportunity to work with students and performers from other areas and backgrounds.
“It opens their eyes to not only students that are better than them, students that are not as good as them, and they get to work with other people besides just me,” Winstead said.
Isaac Douglas • Nov 19, 2023 at 9:53 pm
I most wanted to play with another bassoonist, but the bassoonist I played with last year, Wren, wasn’t there this year.