Clawson School Bands Hit High Notes

The and bands hit high notes Saturday at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association district festival.

The Symphonic Band and String Orchestra received top ratings, and the String Orchestra received a respectable 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the best.

The MSBOA festival is not a competition, but concert bands and orchestras are judged on their performances and sight-reading skills, or their ability to read sheet music. The judges provide a detailed score of all aspects of the groups' performances, which are used to help further their development.

The festival for the symphonic bands was held at Clawson High School; the string orchestra festival was held at Madison Heights Lamphere High School.

The Symphonic Band and String Orchestra delivered strong performances. However, both faced challenges in the reading portion. While each band received a score of 1 for their performances, both scored a 2 for their sight reading.

The high school string orchestra scored a 1 for performance and a 3 for sight reading.

“I think things went pretty good for our performance,” said seventh-grader Austin Ferguson, a trumpet player in the symphonic band, as he waited for the results to be posted Saturday in the Clawson High School cafeteria. “Our sight reading was good. We were in tune, but our tempo wound up a little fast.”

Many of his classmates – and judges – agreed.

“We don’t get nervous on stage anymore,” said eighth-grade bass clarinetist Sue Jackson as she, too, waited in the cafeteria. "We get nervous waiting for the results."

Sue and the other students also were anxious to see whether the scores would mean that Clawson band director Kevin Phillips will get a pink Mohawk haircut, which he promised to do if the students received a top rating.

Phillips said he was pleased with students' performances and scores, and said he expects to make good on his wager in the coming week.

“Two months of preparation comes down to 20 minutes on stage,” he said. “You get to the point where you don’t care as much about the performance as you do about their growth as musicians, and they’re tremendous.”

Julie Wilson, whose twins, Hunter and Courtney, play in the symphonic band, said she was pleased with their performances and top score.

“Based on the practices I heard the past week, I think they did really good,” she said. “It’s not just whether they get a top rating, it’s all the other things they learn in band that helps them in other areas of their education.”

Tavia DiSalvio, orchestra director at the Clawson middle and high schools, also was pleased by the performances of both orchestras.

“The kids have been working hard all year and have really grown as musicians, and that showed today on stage,” she said.

Many parents were impressed with the bands and were appreciative of the Clawson-hosted portion of the festival.

“This is a really good program, and the kids did a really great job,” said Dick Kruse, MSBOA judge and retired band director for the Romulus School District.

“Hosting this type of event is a lot of hard work, and it takes a community effort," he said. "This speaks very well for the whole community.”