On Friday, March 3, members of the Symphonic Band, the Wind Ensemble, Jazz ensemble levels I and II, and the Marching Band participated in the annual Music Performance Assessments competition.

All MPA performances are ranked by several judges into five categories, Superior being the highest category, followed by Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor.  The Wind ensemble, the Marching band and both Jazz Ensembles received Superior ratings on their performances at the competition while the Symphonic band received a rating of Excellent.

Students participating in MPA left school at 10:30 a.m. for their performance locations, which varied by band. The symphonic band and the Wind Ensemble performed at Lyman high school, the Marching band performed at Spec Martin Stadium, and both jazz ensembles performed at Seminole High School.

Students prepared for MPA after their winter concert until competition day in order to perfect their performances. During the competition students perform three songs that they have practiced during rehearsals. After this part of the competition, students move on to the sight-reading portion of the competition, where they are given two pieces of music they have never seen and are given only a few minutes to prepare for their performance.

MPA allows students to receive evaluation and criticism from well-established musicians with a different perspective than their band teacher.

“[MPA] shows how much people really care about the music, and it helps us learn what we need to improve on and what we have improved on,” symphonic band member Brooke Powers said.

Later in the year, the band will participate in other events, including their spring concert and Jazz Under the Stars.