CMS Wind Ensemble Wins First Place at Band Competition

This past week the Carroll Middle School Wind Ensemble was awarded a First-Place finish at the Peak Music Festivals Regional Band Contest held at the Charles W. Eisemann Performance Hall in Richardson, TX, defeating many local powerhouse band programs including Dawson MS, Indian Springs MS and Arbor Creek MS.

On Thursday, April 8th, the CMS Wind Ensemble competed with their challenging program of music that included Brighton Beach March by William Latham, Our Kingsland Spring by Samuel Hazo and Fantasy on an African-American Spiritual by Bruce Preuninger. The Wind Ensemble performed like champions, earning the top rating of “Superior” from all 3 of the judges and won the Division One Trophy!

Over the weekend, the CMS band directors received a special email from the contest officials.

Carroll MS had been named Best in Class Champion at the contest by winning the Best in Class Trophy! This means that out of all the bands in their class (based on school size), the Carroll MS Wind Ensemble was selected as the top band! Other schools in the division included Durham MS from Lewisville, Arbor Creek MS from Carrollton, Cooper JH from Wylie, McMillan JH from Wylie and Argyle MS from Argyle. This marks the second year in a row the Carroll MS Wind Ensemble has won the Best in Class Trophy at this contest!

Even more exciting was the announcement that the Carroll MS Wind Ensemble had been named the Overall Grand Champion of the contest by winning the Most Outstanding Band Trophy, given to the top band at the entire contest! This gave the Carroll MS Wind Ensemble a First-Place finish above many larger schools and fine band programs in the area including Dawson MS in Southlake and Indian Springs MS in Keller.

Additionally the judges gave Outstanding Soloist & Section awards to the Flute Section, Oboe Soloists Emily Kemins, Maggie Burks, Nina Depperman and Michelle Park, the Clarinet Section, the Saxophone Section, the Trumpet Section, the Trombone Section (on 2 songs!), the Euphonium Section (on 2 songs!), Snare Drum Soloists Adam Bautista and Braden Canino, and the Percussion Section.

The members of the CMS Wind Ensemble are to be commended for representing their school and community in the highest regard and for their hard work, dedication and unprecedented success throughout the year.

Way to go CMS Dragon Band!

CMS Band Program earns Top Award in the State at UIL Band Competition

This past week the Carroll Middle School Band program was awarded the Sweepstakes Trophy and the top rating in the state after being named a “Superior” band program by a state-appointed panel of UIL judges.

On Monday, March 29th, the Carroll MS Symphonic Band competed at the Non-Varsity UIL Concert & Sightreading competition held at Little Elm HS. This year the band learned March of the Majestics by Robert Sheldon, Sakura by Michael Story and Flight of Eagles by Elliot Del Borgo. The Symphonic Band earned the top honors at the contest with a “Superior” rating from all six of the contest judges. Many judges commented that the band was exemplary in their sound and their stage presence. After performing on stage, the students had 8 minutes to learn a brand new piece of music that they had never rehearsed before. The students rose to the challenge and sounded fantastic on the piece. The CMS Directors are extremely proud of the Symphonic Band for earning the first Superior rating for the Non-Varsity group in 5 years!

On Wednesday, March 31st, the Carroll MS Wind Ensemble competed at the Varsity UIL Concert & Sightreading competition held at Wakeland HS in Frisco, TX. The band learned a challenging program of music that included Brighton Beach March by William Latham, Our Kingsland Spring by Samuel Hazo and Fantasy on an African-American Spiritual by Bruce Preuninger. The Wind Ensemble also earned top honors at the contest with a “Superior” rating from the panel of judges. The judges were extremely impressed by the maturity of sound and colors demonstrated by the students and commented that the band proudly represented Carroll ISD. After performing on stage, the students had 7 minutes to learn a brand new piece of music that they had never rehearsed before. The students played a difficult piece very well and were rewarded by the judges with top marks and the coveted Sweepstakes Trophy, which is the highest award given by the state. With this award, the CMS Wind Ensemble has officially begun a new “tradition of excellence” by winning the Sweepstakes Trophy at UIL for the second consecutive year!

All CMS band students are to be commended for representing their school and community in the highest regard and for their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

Way to go CMS Dragon Band!