Heights Wins Best Percussion In Class AA; Sheridan Awarded 2nd In Class A, 17th Of 37 Bands In State Fair Band Day Contest

By: Betsy Reason

Hamilton Heights High School Marching Huskies and Sheridan High School Marching Blackhawks are celebrating their awards from Friday’s Indiana State Fair Band Day presented by Music Travel Consultants and Paige’s Music.

Hamilton Heights Marching Huskies won Best Percussion in Class AA.

“After every performance and almost every rehearsal, we continued to be blown away with our newly formed Marching Huskies,” said Hamilton Heights band director Mark Snelson following the competition. Snelson and Billy Cox are Heights band directors.

“Mr. Cox and I were ecstatic with our debut State Faire performance. No moment seemed too big, always performing with confidence and intensity. The atmosphere and crowd here could have easily intimidated anyone, especially a first-year marcher, causing mental mistakes. However, our kids truly performed like a veteran group today and all season long,” Snelson said.

Heights’ State Fair competition set was titled, “The Elements of Feng Shui.” Each movement developed a concert of harmony and balance between a variety of elements … wood, metal, earth, water and fire. A drum major, 15 wind instruments, eight battery percussion and 13 in the percussion pit made up the Huskies marching band. Class AA is for bands 26 to 50 playing members (winds and percussion).

Hamilton Heights finished 20th in the preliminary contest during the day.

“To finish in the Top 20, their energetic performance even gave us hope of a potential Sweet 16 performance. What more could we have asked of them? And let’s not forget about our percussion section who won Best Percussion – (Class) AA.  Simply amazing. Our first State Fair experience is one we can all look back on fondly for the rest of our lives.”

The Sheridan Blackhawks performed with “excellence, integrity and fierce determination,” assistant band director Libby Doublestein said of her school’s band, which placed 17th out of 37 high school bands and second place in Class A (25 or fewer playing members.) The Blackhawks competed with 25 winds/percussion, eight guards and a drum major.

Usually, the top or “Sweet 16” bands participate in the finals. However, this year, the top placing 17 bands were chosen to compete in the finals.

Doublestein said, “There was a situation involving another band’s performance. Because it required further discussion and couldn’t be resolved at that time, they made the decision to allow 17 bands to compete in the finals.”

Sheridan Blackhawks’ show title was “Ascension” with music by Randall Standridge entitled “Ritual.” The show was conceptualized and designed by Johnny McGinnis, the band’s co-director with Doublestein, and was about a fallen angel seeking redemption. Many visual effects were created to enhance the show.

Doublestein said, “Our students were elated to be able to perform their show one last time under the lights of the night show. We were awarded 17th place, less than one point away from 16th.”

She said, “Despite disappointing public behavior from the grandstands and other band members towards our band, we held our heads up and eyes with pride.”

The band director chose not to elaborate but remained focused on the positive.

She said, “This competition should be an equitable competition for all students, where all bands are treated with respect, and where each and every student should know and feel they are a part of something incredible.”

Doublestein is proud of the Blackhawks’ band program.

“Marching Band is such a special thing, and summer track band is especially unique … We have official rehearsals for seven weeks; that’s it. Music is distributed prior to the start of rehearsals, but everything else is learned and rehearsed during seven extremely intense weeks. Blood, sweat, laughs, tears… a band family bond is created that is incredibly strong … This bond allows our students to know beyond a doubt that they are loved and valued, and that we believe in them,” she said. “We have high expectations, hold them accountable, and are extraordinarily proud of them.”

For Hamilton Heights, State Fair Band Day is about the culmination of the season, “a competition full of bands recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating the hard work of their peers,” Doublestein said.

While she believes that “some of that has been lost” with other bands, Doublestein said, “We will continue to do everything we can to bring it back.”

Sheridan and Heights marching bands each were awarded a plaque and will receive $750 in prize money.

Also, congratulations to the Kokomo Marching Wildkats, Class AAA (51 or more playing members) competitors and overall champion at the State Fair Band Day. Kokomo received a trophy and will receive $3,500 in prize money.

-Betsy Reason writes about people, places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.