Thursday and Friday, about 2500 young musicians will pass through the doors of Bridgeport High School and Bridgeport Middle School. Once again, Bridgeport is hosting the Region 10 Band Festival with adjudication taking place for 18 high schools and 30 middle schools from throughout Monongalia, Marion, Preston, Taylor and Harrison Counties.

 

Regional Festival Director is Michael Ford, who has served in that capacity for the past 31 years.

 

Auditions for middle school bands will be held at BMS and high school bands will play at BHS. Each band will perform concert music selected from the Graded Music List , which features musical selections ranging  from grade level 1 (easiest to perform) to grade level 6 (most difficult to perform). Band directors can choose the level of difficulty desired. The goal is to play the music well, Ford said. Bands will receive ratings as follows: I – superior, II – excellent, III – good; IV – below average and V – poor. At last year's Region 10 Band Festival, both BHS and BMS received straight superior ratings. 

When the festival originated about 60 years ago, the intent was to test effectiveness of individual high school band directors. Over time, it evolved into a showcase for high school and middle school bands, each striving to nab a perfect “I” or superior rating.

 

“Honestly, the goals are still the same. Even though bands take pride in getting a superior rating as opposed to excellent, the main purpose is to measure that instruction,” Ford said. “When a band director works with his group, his ear kinds of gets accustomed to his group … This gives them fresh ears – three adjudicators who can tell them where they’re at as far as teaching those basic fundamentals – articulation, dynamics and musicality – the things that make music.”

 

The Region 10 Band Festival is held in conjunction with the Harrison County Board of Education, the WVSSAC and West Virginia Bandmasters Association.

 

Thirty minutes is reserved for each participating band, which will play two selections for ratings and an optional warm-up. It is possible that performances will start a few minutes early. Spectators are welcome. Serving as adjudicators are Robert Dunkerley .Richard Ford and Steve Swank (BHS site) and Earl McConnell, Dan Thomas and John Sullivan (BMs site).

 

BMS and BHS bands kick off the festival with 8:30 a.m. evaluations at their respective schools. See Thursday's schedule below. 

 

Editor's Note: Photos were taken during last year's Region 10 Band Festival.