110 students from the Bremen Band program traveled to Plymouth High School to perform in the 2018 ISSMA Solo/Ensemble Festival today, and the results were superb.
Students spent the previous two months preparing solo and ensemble performances for this date. Students performed for the public with a judge, who gave them a rating based on the quality of their performance. Here's some statistics for our performances today, with comparisons from the last two years.
Bremen Middle School Band:
17 Gold (Superior, Excellent) ratings (23 in 2018, 14 in 2017)
7 Silver (Good) ratings (6 in 2018, 11 in 2017)
2 Bronze (Fair) ratings (1 in 2018, 1 in 2017)
Bremen High School Band:
29 Gold (Superior, Excellent) ratings (36 in 208, 33 in 207)
17 Silver (Good) ratings (11 in 2018, 4 in 2017)
0 Bronze (Fair) ratings (2 in 2018, 0 in 2017)
0 Participation ratings (1 in 2018, 0 in 2017)
Students who enter into the most advanced difficulty category (called Group I) and earn a gold rating qualify to perform at the State Festival in Indianapolis on February 23rd. Group I music consists of advanced high school and college level repertoire prepared by our most advanced students.
Highlights among this group include the following, with comparisons from the previous few years:
2019: 9 out of 14 solo students who attempted to qualify for state succeeded
2018: 17 out of 20 in 2018,
2017: 14 qualified in 2017
2019: 24 entries for state this year (3 ensembles at 11 solos performed by 18 students
2018: 30 entries, 4 ensembles and 17 solos performed by 21 students
2017: 30 entries, 4 ensembles, 14 solos performed by 19 students
2019: This year we had our fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh ever perfect score for a state finalist entry!
2019: Josh Szpakowski on Tuba, Joshua Staiger on Clarinet, Jeremy Prawat on Snare, and our first ever ensemble perfect score, the Percussion ensemble with Marisol Torres, Ashley Jeffirs, Jeremy Prawat, Brandon Schmucker, Aidan Russell, Daniel Alvarado, and Tommy Hilgendorf
2018: Brandon Schmucker on Snare, Julianne Lawmaster on Piccolo
2017: Nicholas Bailey on Baritone
2019: One student qualified for state FOUR times for the first time in 13 years. Jeremy Prawat earned gold for his solo performances on Snare, Timpani, and Marimba, and was one of the qualifying members of the Percussion ensemble. This is an incredible achievement.
2018: Two students qualified for state THREE times, and one of them on three different instruments!
Brian Hernandez (Baritone solo, Trombone in ensemble, Trombone in ensemble)
Jonathan Blystone (Bassoon solo, Baritone solo, Trombone in ensemble)
Because of the sheer amount of work it takes to qualify for state, I would like to recognize each one of these students for their achievement:
Solos qualifying for State:
Clark, Elijah (Sophomore Clarinet 1 solo, 0 ensemble career qualifications)
Lawmaster, Julianne (Junior Flute 3 solo, 0 ensemble career qualifications)
Leeper, Anna (Senior Trumpet 2 solo, 0 ensemble career qualifications)
Miller, Chandler (Junior Alto Sax 1 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Patterson, Freeman (Senior Bass Clarinet 1 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore Snare Drum 6 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore Marimba 6 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore Timpani 6 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Reynoso, Isabel (Sophomore Flute 1 solo, 0 ensemble career qualifications)
Staiger, Joshua (Senior Clarinet 5 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Szpakowski, Joshua (Junior Tuba 2 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Ensembles qualifying for State:
Large Group Percussion Ensemble:
Alvarado, Daniel (Freshman 0 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Hilgendorf, Thomas (Freshman 0 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Jeffirs, Ashley (Senior:0 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore 6 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Russell, Aidan (Freshman 0 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Schmucker, Brandon (Junior 1 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Torres, Marisol (Freshman 0 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Brass Trio
Kucera, Ashton (Junior Trumpet 1 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Long, Job (Senior Trombone 0 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Szpakowski, Joshua (Junior Tuba 2 solo, 1 ensemble career qualifications)
Saxophone Trio
Miller, Chandler (Junior Alto Sax 1 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Patterson, Freeman (Senior Bass Clarinet 1 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Perez, Taylor (Junior Alto Sax 0 solo, 2 ensemble career qualifications)
Still reading? Check out this list of students who were within one point of a perfect score in all difficulty levels. This is quite difficult to achieve.
Solos within 1 point of a perfect score:
Lawmaster, Julianne (Junior Flute) STATE QUALIFIER
Patterson, Freeman (Senior Bass Clarinet) STATE QUALIFIER
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore Snare Drum) PERFECT SCORE, STATE QUALIFIER
Staiger, Joshua (Senior Clarinet) PERFECT SORE, STATE QUALIFIER
Szpakowski, Joshua (Junior Tuba) PERFECT SCORE, STATE QUALIFIER
Ensembles within 1 point of a perfect score:
Large Group Percussion Ensemble PERFECT SCORE, STATE QUALIFIER
Alvarado, Daniel (Freshman)
Hilgendorf, Thomas (Freshman)
Jeffirs, Ashley (Senior)
Prawat, Jeremy (Sophomore)
Russell, Aidan (Freshman)
Schmucker, Brandon (Junior)
Torres, Marisol (Freshman)
Want to see the full results for every student? Here's a spreadsheet.
It is always difficult to adequately express the pride I have in the Bremen Band program on days like today. So many students put in so much time, and there were so many wonderful success stories even beyond the few listed above. These students deserve our recognition-- if you know any of these band students, congratulate them! Feel free to share this success online and beyond-- these accomplishments represent some of the best examples of what Bremen Public Schools have to offer. Thank you students for your hard work, and parents for your support.