Robinson and Plant musicians delighted the audience with a Pre-Music Performance Assessment (MPA) concert this past Wednesday, Feb. 21. While this performance was a precursor to their real assessment, the actual judging will happen on Feb. 29 and March 2.
“After our performance on Wednesday, we got a video recording of advice from the judges, but at our real MPA, we get our official score. If we get straight superiors [the highest score] that will be the twelfth year in a row that we receive a perfect score, which will mean great things for the band,” Band Captain Tara Kuklen (’24) said.
However, this impressive feat does not come easy. Intense preparation including the pre-MPA leads the band up to stellar results.
“We’ve really been working hard since like the beginning of the year, practicing during and after school, and even over the summer in marching band season to work on just kind of coming together as a group and coming together as a team and that’s definitely evident when we’re trying to keep the ensemble together on stage,” First Chair Flutist Audrey Coleman (’26) said.
The concert band played some great classics including the “Flying Cadets March” by Karl King arr—Swearingen and “English Folk Song Fantasy” by Frank Erickson. The wind ensemble had a whimsical sound playing beautiful pieces such as “Emblem of Unity” by J.J. Richards and “Rhapsodic Celebration” by Robert Sheldon.
“Band is just a really cool community. It’s such a large group of people and just like the experience of being able to work with other people towards a common goal to me is just so lovely to have.,” Coleman said. “The amazing people that we have, the parents, the band boosters, and just how involved everyone is in the band. It just makes it a really special experience for sure.”