Mitchell High School Bands Display Musical Chops at Districts

The Mitchell High School band, led by Austin Sailors, performing at the District Music Contest.Photo byjd

Thursday, April 18, was district competition day for the Mitchell High School bands. They traveled to Western Nebraska Community College, along with many other schools, for the chance to be judged on their level of excellence. They did not disappoint...

The entire band performed the first two movements of “Cajun Folk Songs” (1991) by Frank Ticheli. The first, “I. La Belle et le Capitaine,” a slow-moving piece focusing mainly on wind instruments meshing their sound together to create a rich, swaying ambiance transitioned into “II. Belle,” a light, upbeat number with distinct instrumentation and just the right amount of percussion to captivate. The two together conveyed a feeling to this writer of slowly, drowsily waking up for the day, seeing the daybreak and then ENERGY! With only one minor critique from the judges, and much praise, the Mitchell High School Band’s day was complete.

Next up was the jazz band. Their set consisted of two songs: “Sunny” (1963) by Bobby Hepp and “Red Clay” (1970) by Freddie Hubbard. WOW is all this author has to say. The judges agreed. With more encouragement than criticism, select players were emboldened to step out of their comfort zones through improvisation. The excellence of the percussion section was highlighted by a judge stating they were "locked in." (And if you’re a percussionist, you know what a compliment that is.) Judge for yourself...

With the district music competition now in the rearview mirror, the Mitchell High School band is now two performances away from summer vacation:

Fine Arts Night at the Mitchell High School, April 29, 2024

Graduation at Mitchell High, May 11, 2024

Only one more chance to see this outstanding group together before the seniors say goodbye!

Please continue to support music in your local schools!