Bands score well at festival
Published 10:02 pm Thursday, October 11, 2012
Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT The Buchanan High School band was one of 10 bands performing Wednesday.
Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, River Valley, New Buffalo and Berrien Springs all received a score of “I” — the highest possible rating — during Wednesday’s Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association District 6 Marching Band
Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT There was nothing miserable about the Edwardsburg High School band’s performance, which featured songs from the popular musical, “Les Miserables.”
Festival at Niles High School.
Receiving “II” — the second highest rating — were Cassopolis, Niles, Benton Harbor and Bridgman. Buchanan got a “III” rating.
Steven Gruver, Niles band director, said each band was judged against a state model and not against each other.
Bands were broken into categories based on size. Competing in the largest division — Class B — were Niles, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg and Benton Harbor.
Competing in Class C were Buchanan and Berrien Springs.
Competing in Class D were Cassopolis, Bridgman, New Buffalo and River Valley.
Gruver said bands in the smaller classes are graded less critically than bands in the larger classes.
District 6 encompasses schools in southwest Michigan.
There are 20 participating schools in District 6.
Ten schools performed Wednesday at Niles and 10 more at Paw Paw Wednesday.
Results
Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT The Cassopolis High School band took a page out of Ian Fleming’s book as they performed the “James Bond” theme during the band festival.
Class D
Bridgman II
River Valley I
Cassopolis II
New Buffalo I
Class C
Buchanan III
Berrien Springs I
Class B
Benton Harbor II
Dowagiac I
Edwardsburg I
Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT Host Niles High School capped off an evening of music and movement at the District 6 marching band festival Wednesday.
Niles II
Leader photo/CRAIG HAUPERT The Dowagiac marching band received a “I” score for its performance at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association District 6 Marching Band Festival at Niles High School Wednesday.
