On Wednesday, March 26th, the Poplarville High School Band traveled to Pearl High School in Pearl, MS to participate in the MSHAA Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation. The band prepared a program of three works that included a warm up piece, a selected piece, and a required piece. After weeks of preparation, they played the music for a panel of three judges. After the concert portion, the band went to another room at the evaluation where they had a piece of music they had never seen before and were allowed 7 minutes to discuss before playing the piece for another panel of three judges.
Ratings for the evaluation range from a 4 (or “Fair”), which is the lowest rating to a 1 (or “superior”), which is the highest rating. Poplarville High School Band received a rating of 1 from all six judges.
Under the guidance of current band director, Josh Tidwell, the Green Machine has grown from 36 members to 73 members in a span of four years. Including the dance team, the marching band marches about 90 – 95 members. The Middle School program has grown from 62 members to around 100 in the same time frame.
As the school year winds down, the members of the band will be reviewing music in preparation of next year’s half time show. The students will also be getting ready to participate in summer fundraisers and camps.