Band members compete in solo and ensemble contest

Eighteen members of the Pride of Olney High School Band competed in the UIL Region 7 North Zone Solo and Ensemble competition held at Wichita Falls High School Saturday, Feb. 17. All achieved excellent ratings and a few advanced to the state Solo and Ensemble competition, which is to be held next May at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville.

In the Solo and Ensemble competition, students can either choose to play a solo which is given to them by their band directors, which can range from class three to one in complexity, or to gather a number of students together to play in an ensemble. Students, after practicing their selected music for upwards of a month, travel to the competition in which they play for a judge. The judge gives them a rating based on multiple factors such as playing, tuning and consistency in style, for example. These ratings can be a division one (superior), division two (excellent), division three (good), division four (fair), or a division five (poor). To advance to the state competition, students must play a class one solo by memory (exemptions apply to certain pieces) or a class one piece in their ensemble.

An alto saxophone trio consisting of sophomores Sawyer Edgington, Jeffry Flores, and Adrian Gonzalez received a first division rating for their piece, and will advance to the state Solo and Ensemble competition.

Junior Lily Thames received a first division rating for her “no memory required” class one oboe solo and will advance to the state Solo and Ensemble competition.

Freshmen who received a first division rating on their solos include Ava Stewart (Class two flute solo and class two vocal solo), Maddox Johnson (Class one bassoon solo), and Claire Stephens (Class three bass clarinet solo).

Sophomore Adrian Gonzalez received a division one rating on his baritone saxophone solo and sophomore Sawyer Edgington received a division two rating on his alto saxophone solo.

Junior Ben Norris received a division two rating on his class three euphonium solo.

Senior Josie Gentry received a division two rating on her class two trumpet solo.

A woodwind trio of freshman Ava Stewart (flute), junior Lily Thames (oboe), and freshman bassoonist Maddox Johnson received a division four rating.

A clarinet trio consisting of senior Lindsy Piedra and juniors Samantha Sanborn and Anay Santibanez received a division four rating.

A percussion trio of senior Allie Barrington and sophomores Nate Elmore and Jose Melchor received a division two rating on their performance.

In vocal solos, freshman Ava Stewart received a first division rating on her Class two solo, while freshman Foster Sullivan and senior Cheyenne Slattery received division two ratings on their Class two solos.