The Brownwood High School (BHS) Band and the Brownwood Middle School (BMS) Band recently participated in the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading contest held at Stephenville High School.

The BHS Band performed on Wednesday, April 2, under the direction of Assistant Band Director Ethan Yeats. "They performed extremely well on stage and in sightreading, earning a rating of 'Excellent' in both," stated Yeats. "In order to prepare for UIL, the Brownwood Band spent time preparing three concert pieces for the stage portion of the contest. To prepare for the sightreading portion, the band worked on several different drills, exercises, and practice pieces. Our students came early every day in order to have enough time to work on the things necessary for the contest. At the beginning of the semester, students read numerous different pieces to narrow it down to our three."

"The UIL process involves a rubric that judges students on every aspect of their musicality with rigorous expectations," added Yeats. "The Brownwood band students had a fantastic performance, and we are proud of their accomplishments this year."

The BMS 7th Grade and 8th Grade bands performed on Thursday, April 3, under the direction of Assistant Band Director Juan Hernandez. Each BMS band earned a rating of "Excellent" on stage and "Superior" in sightreading.

"The last time Brownwood took a 7th grade band to UIL was back in '07," noted Hernandez. "As for the ratings they brought home, they definitely set the bar high for the future. They did an amazing job, and I couldn't be prouder."

Hernandez also commended the 8th grade band on their performance and growth. "I've been blessed to be a part of these students' musical journey since they started band 3 years ago," said Hernandez. "The growth that they have made has been phenomenal, and every year, what they have accomplished has blown us away. This is the first time these groups of middle school students have completed at UIL, and I can promise they showed up. They made us all proud and gave their directors promise for the future."

Above: The BHS Band performs at the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading Contest.

 

Above: The BMS 7th Grade Band performs at the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading Contest.

 

Above: The BMS 8th Grade Band performs at the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading Contest.