Clarke students participate in honor bands

Clarke Community Middle School and High School bands have an array of students going to honor bands this winter.

The Clarke Community High School band was proud to send Susana Camacho, a high school junior, to the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association (SCIBA) Honor Band Saturday. Camacho was selected as a clarinet player in the 11th and 12th grade band.

Camacho prepared audition material which included playing four scales from memory and a section of two prepared etudes.

In music theory, a scale is a set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch, and etudes are short compositions, typically for one instrument, designed as an exercise to improve the technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.

Camacho auditioned against many other high school students from across south-central Iowa, including seven other Clarke Community High School band students.

SCIBA Honor Band was held at Ankeny High School, with students from 37 different schools across south-central Iowa participating. The 11th and 12th grade band rehearsed all day and performed a concert for the public in the evening under the direction of Curran Prendergast.

The Clarke Community Middle School Band has four eighth-grade students participating in the Simpson College Orpheus Honor Band Festival Jan. 16.

The Orpheus Honor Band is split into two bands which are named for Simpson College’s colors, each with approximately 95 members. Both bands are of equal playing ability.

Jadie Bowlsby was selected on trumpet and Jessica Guerrero was selected on clarinet for the Red Band. Breanna Selsor was selected on French horn and Colby Feehan was selected on percussion for the Gold Band.

To be chosen for the Orpheus Honor Band, each student had a letter of recommendation written by their band teacher, Christie Averweg, as well as provided proper instrumentation.

The Red and Gold Bands are made up of students from 47 different schools and have been given music to practice individually in preparation for the Festival.

On Jan. 16, the students will rehearse together as a group for the first time at a morning and an afternoon session. That evening, each band will present a concert to the public.

The Festival will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance by the Simpson College Instrumental Ensembles, followed by both of the middle school honor bands.

All performances will take place in Pote Theatre at Blank Performing Arts Center on the Simpson College campus in Indianola. The concert is free to the public.